(Poem prompt)
Outward appearances, shielding
Inwardly, yielding
Not knowing the right moves
To keep going
Push and pull
The threads of the puppet
Must keep up appearances
While dying inside
Must smile
She says
Don’t let them know your fears
Smile
Don’t let them see your tears
Outward appearances, wielding
The ability to shape shift
To morph
Into the person they want us to be
Must laugh on cue
You know you want to
A must
To gain trust
And live the way
Others do
Inward appearances, bleeding
From the inside out
Depressions claws
Ripping apart my facade
Crippling my outward defense
My face falling
Crumpling
Like a wad of paper thrown
Away because the imperfections
Mare the smooth skin
Underneath
Malnourished the soul
Living on crumbs
Of basic human decency
Inward appearances, concealing
The normalcy once hid behind
Now weighed down
By anxiety
It’s coconspirators as well
Nit picking at flaws
Like scabs on your back
From years of beatings
From lack of conceding
To fit like a piece
Of a puzzle they cease
To understand
While missing the whole scene
Laid before
Scattered like the last of your will
To live, your hopes
And dreams
Become pieces of that scene
That no one can glean
Since as a mess you claim
No home to remain
You break down into pieces
Of a whole
Scene
But will never be
Seen
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