I was at the hair stylist's the other day with time to kill and gossip magazines in my lap. I got to wondering what it's like for the celebrities storied in, and gracing the covers of, these magazines to have no privacy; to be the subject of rumors and innuendo, well wishes and chastisement, head-shaking and vicarious living.

The rich and famous live in a fish bowl with little privacy, except when nestled in their private compounds. Are the glamour, toys, perks and connections that wealth and stardom provide enough? A poem was born.

Life in a Fish Bowl - The Downside of Stardom

What is it like to live life in a fish bowl?
These celebs pay a price for fame
Red carpet, paparazzi, for every new role
Us, People, The Soup; it's part of the game

There's money and houses and Euro-vacances
A home in L.A. and the South of France
They grace the covers of magazines
Some real dishing plus some faux scenes

Being fan-rushed at award shows
Being crushed by camera men
One gets too close, gets a broken nose
Oh, the lives of Madonna and Sean Penn

And reality TV has introduced the Kardashians
àWhich sounds like the Star Trek 'Cardassians'
(I'm a trekkie, did you say Cardassians?)
We follow them; who they're with; where they go
And tune in on-demand for a rerun of the show

And who's having babies and what number affair
This is celebrity; it brings the good and the bad
A media zoo, be forewarned, be ready, be aware
The money doesn't keep some from going mad

Open the gates, close the gates, safely at home
Private time now, stay put, don't roam
Someone's out there with a telephoto lens
Get off it guys, we're allowed to be with friends

Oh the price of fame
Yes, some people are lame
But the public is titillated by those
Who make the music, the movies, the TV shows

Celebrity doesn't give you freedom to be dumb
And expect that your groupies stick around
Yet, there's some license to be divergent from
The public persona that you expound

And too, the public supports
The guys and gals in sports
We watch them raptly on field or course
And it hurts us when a spouse files for divorce

And the impetus to get prescriptions
Or drink to excess and go to rehab
Or losing weight or other predilections
Oh, what temptations for the fab

Some folks live their fantasies through
The wild escapades of these relative few
This allows a craziness and intensity
For which regular Joes don't have propensity

Yes, life in fish bowl has its merit
The glamour, the glitz, the cameras flashing
But few of the great icons inherit
The knack to keep their world from crashing

Generally talent, sometimes good looks and often luck, launch actors, musicians and sports figures to the heights of celebrity. Sometimes even they need to come down from the stars and live a regular life; at least for a while.