Here I sit smiling politely
With a shiny plastic grin
Then I realize that you’ve asked me a question
I’m sorry, what was that again?
You repeat your statement gleefully
All the while smiling broadly at me
Chattering away incessantly
While I search for my escape.

Good manners dictate that I be happy for you,
Be cheerful and toast your success
All the while inside I’m crumbling
Falling apart, my feet stumbling
Even as I am struggling
To regain a sort of balance for myself.

I won’t let you see how this hurts me,
Because although my own cross I can bear,
I couldn’t handle the thought of causing you pain
So my tears remain silent, my cries muffled within
Even as I sink behind my shiny plastic grin.

Marie
-07/07/14