Lost Under Their Smiles

They all smiled and walked by. Not one paused to ask if I was breaking. Maybe I got good at pretending. Maybe they just liked the mask. I laughed when I needed to cry. I showed up when I wanted to disappear. People love you when you make no noise. When you don’t ask for help. When you stay easy to handle. But silence is not peace. And smiling is not healing. Sometimes I stare at the ceiling and wonder if anyone would notice if I stopped trying. Not died. Just stopped pretending I’m okay. I think some would miss the version I played. Not the real me. Not the tired one underneath. So I write for the version they ignore. For the truth they never see. For the soul that’s still screaming even in the quiet. That silence? It isn’t empty. It’s full of everything I never said.