i will build you up
from the bottom to the top
taking my time
sculpting you from ideas,
my words and thoughts
the mortar that holds you together
and after some time
you will be standing
tall and proud
you are me
but you're also not me

it is when i finish that i realize
what i was working so hard to put together
was the semblance of a reality i wish i lived in
that close-lipped smile
those brown eyes that seem to host no care in the world
but also that shoulder, unfinished and covered
so the world cannot hope see it

there you are
or there i am
standing in plain sight,
happy and wonderful,
but underneath
that's also not me

the years have dulled the edges of that smile
eroded the brightness of those eyes
that used to have no care, that used to shine
now dark and despondent
the stones packed too tightly together to be moved
to let out what's inside
the real me

and now i realize
i wasn't building this  
this character wasn't built by me
the brick over my heart was placed by another
the glass around my mind was placed by another

the glass
which showcases my mind
yet also burns it
offers it no shade
no rest
yet the glass has grown foggy
so what lies afar is unseen
maybe unattainable

but as the years pass,
and the stone is worn away
all that is left
is a dome of glass
surrounding a mind
limiting it's possibilities
until nothing is left