It began without warning, tiny impulses grew
She would doubt her own skill set, everything that she knew
Now the center attraction, she could feel all the heat
and the spotlight was burning, pushing her to retreat

Endeavors began to stress her, she sensed the pressure
To measure up to her famed predecessor
It turned to terror, began to scare her, the tears were falling out

She felt like an imposter, hadn't earn her way though
Though she carried the mantle, couldn't fill up his shoes
In the shadow of greatness, lesser people would fall
with the burgeoning anguish, could not take it at all

Taunted, she swear she saw it, perhaps just thought it
Dismissive audiences had her haunted
She dreamt it often, it kept right on 'til her hair was falling out

She woke up to a burden, an unbearable weight
and felt nothing could lift it, was confined to her fate
In the depths of her mind now, a conspiracy bloomed
They would stop her in some way, sabotage always loomed

Tempted, they'd clog her engine, her flight prevented
and if she flew then, her death was cemented
No way to prevent it, a crash would end it, the parts had fallen out

When regaining composure, she discarded these thoughts
But she needed some distance, and perhaps some time off
She looked back to that circus, and the traveling fair
She would search for her purpose, heading heaven knows where