When people look at her, she smiles
Teeth flashing
Eyes aglow
They smile back
Because to them
Her true emotions show

Hair framing her face
Highlighting her eyes
Her cheeks
Her clothes casual
Posture strong
Never weak

Then people turn away
They’re satisfied
No one sees
She knows they don’t
Her happy smile falters
As does the strength in her knees

Her eyes glaze over
With things unshed
Mostly tears
Unshed to stay strong
To stay hidden
Hiding her fears

Everyone thinks they know her
All her likes
Her wants and needs
They think they know why
She usually doesn’t cry
Doesn’t plead
Why she smiles, why she laughs
When she sees something funny
Hears a good joke
Why she does what she does
Her sports, her passions
Why she doesn’t choke

They think they know her loves
Who she crushes on
At any time
They think they understand
What she writes
What she rhymes
What she feels during the night
In the dark
Alone
Whether at a friend’s
At a camp
At home

They think they know her
Her favorite book
Her favorite song
They think they know her
All about her
They’re wrong

She’s okay with that
Hiding behind the words
“I’m fine”
Yet she wants someone to see her
Meet her gaze with two words
“Don’t lie”

It never seems to happen
Crushing her goals
Her dreams
She continues to play along
She’s happy
So it seems

Silently crying out for help
From someone
Something
People look back her way, and
As if one thing bothers her
Nothing
She let’s herself seem happy
Yet it’s fake, breaking
Barely there
Everyone's gone, leaving her alone
To break down and cry
With no one to care