Words tend to have double meanings when I think too deeply about them
I create false realities to represent each syllable
And keep them stacked away on the highest shelf of my mind
Until late at night when my eyes are red
And I cannot distinguish between the two possible causes

I once stared at the mirror for so long
That I thought I was no longer staring at my reflection
But instead an abandoned friend who I had long forgotten existed
With a gap between her front teeth and pigtails held with ribbons
Sheltered inside a world that had never been authentic

Her words too have double meanings
As she reminds me of her happy memories
But as the line between us blurred
Happy memories were reduced to coverups
And false realities became more authentic than her sheltered world