A smile to hide the tears,
A laugh to mask the pain,
A wink to stifle the moan.

Every day we kill ourselves a little more,
Holding back our feelings like a floodgate door.

Why must we be as cold stone walls?
Impenetrable,
Insurmountable,
Unfeeling.

Is there some unwritten code,
That no man or woman shall show their emotions?

Will they then be taken away,
And stripped of their humanity?

Should you cry or frown among your peers,
Instantly you are beset on all sides.

Like blood in the water the hungry sharks flock to you,
To ask “are you alright?”

“Ha!” I say to them, “Ha ha ha!”
For it is not I who is sick or hurt,
It is you!

You cold slabs of stone,
You unfeeling hunks of metal,
You expressionless imitations of man.

“It is not my troubles I weep for!” I yell,
“It is for you whom I mourn.”