How can you criticize a man with a weakness?

The soldier who wields a lighter sword
is he not covering for his lack of strength?
yet he is praised for his understanding of battle
and allowed to compensate his arm to such lengths

The painter who paints life as it stands still
does he not show his lack of imagination?
yet he is praised for his forthright abilities
showing the world his mundane interpretation

The musician who bends the strings to his will
he is good, but can he dance or is his voice too shrill?
yet here he is treated like a god
for his guts and his sweat and his need for a thrill

But a man who is lonely, broken, or worn
puts on a smile, his handshake is warm
and yet the others laugh, they point, they scorn
"Your façade is fake, you fool," they say
"the only one you're fooling is yourself," they claim

But a façade is a shield, a crutch if you may
to attempt to deflect the hate that they spray
it allows your wounds to heal below
and keep sympathy, scorn, and disgust away
and if it works, and it does, they'll never know
it was all just a lie, a façade, you had shown