She stares back at me,
A face I no longer recognize
Sullen expression
Sunken eyes lined with deep crimson shadows
Eyes that no longer have any vibrancy to them
Lifeless.
Her disheveled hair looks like it hasn't been thoroughly brushed in weeks.
She attempts to smile back at me but even a blind man could see that misery has taken over her heart.
The walls she has begun to put up to protect herself have begun to crumble.
An innocent victim captive of insomnia and depression
Drowning in her own despair.
Never have I seen a face so lost at sea,
I wish I could guide her back home to me.
She looks feeble, her skin has grown so pale as if the moment I look away she will disappear out of thin air.
Her face could tell stories better than her words ever could.
Her face cannot lie and tell you that she is fine unless carefully edited.
She applies each layer of makeup carefully, erasing every trace of misery
Using eloquent detail as carefully as Vincent Van Gogh would have applied to any of his paintings
It is her mask to cover her hollow shell.
She makes sure to cover the deep creases littering her forehead,
Whites out the deepened pools below her eyes
Edits her construction to make her seem whole.
Silly girl to think that this facade could be maintained forever
She can hide it from the rest of the world, but she cannot hide it from me.
Tears stream down my face, and only then do I realize how lonely I have become, talking to my reflection for some essence of companionship.
I wipe away the tears and continue the facade.