Facade

Quietly you hid your tears

Behind a smile

Learning long ago

Not to express sadness

Anymore

For what good could honesty do

In a world where

Pain or grief is fearsome

Or betrayed

By all that everyone else hides

Behind

Or runs so very far away from

In fear

Long ago you learned

Not to mention your suffering

To a soul

You never hoped again

What it might be to know

The closeness of an open arm

Or a trusting heart

To lean into

So that now

When you tumble

Will they ever understand

What led to such a fall

The scaffolding could just not hold it

In place any more

The façade you learned so very long ago

To hide behind