The Well-Polished Smile

The door opens upon a new day dawning,

Just another 24 hours in the grand scheme of things,

The wind blows, never needing a reason,

The sun rises, without a care,

The world turns, with no hesitation,

There’s never any consideration to how she feels,

Disregarding her personal tilt, her dramas, her happiness or even her tears.

**

She soldiers on,

Standing tall on the threshold of that open door,

A smile upon her face,

Shoulders high, back straight,

Pride wrapping her within cotton and lace.

**

A mother, raising her babies; forever alone,

Unlovable!

Warped in the blackest of nightmares,

Sleeplessness her best friend and constant companion.

**

She rides the workforce under consistent restraint,

Hours deepened, instilling the threat of submission,

Her back bent in toil, the world upon her shoulders,

Governed by the evil necessity of the mighty dollar,

Bent but never broken.

**

Her trust tried and tested within the lies of societal love,

The sweet nothings whispered in the dead of the night,

False hope, manipulation and heart-wrenching cruelty,

Battered upon her brokenness until she shouldered the blame,

Dredged bleeding, until her legs grew with the stability needed to walk away,

As she shrugged off each betrayal, heaped upon her compassion.

**

And at the start of each new day, she continued to open the door to that outside world,

She stood tall,

Her shoulders refused to bow,

Her back refused to break,

Her smile well-worn and intact,

Her fragile mask holding tight — just!

**

The world watches the drama unfold,

Curiosity dredged from the depths,

As she saunters past she hears the judgements,

“She’s the ice-maiden, battle-scarred and unapproachable. Cold as ice. Fearless and unbreakable!,”

But they never hear her breathless whisper from behind the mask,

“Fearless! Huh! If only they knew; I’m scared — I’m scared of every little darn thing!”