Shadow of Smile

I wear happiness like a mask,

Yet inside, shadows quietly bask.

The sky I touch, not soft nor free,

But a tethered rope that’s holding me.

Invisible walls, a prison tight,

Unhappiness, no hope in sight.

While joy’s a sky, so vast and wide,

But is it real, or just a guide?

I wish to break the smiling chain,

And feel the depths of raw, pure pain.

For in that truth, I might just find,

A freedom that’s not far behind.