Drowning in silence,
I scream in my mind,
Chained to the past,
I leave it behind.
Yet the weight still lingers,
too heavy to bear,
But I smile so bright ~
so no one will care.

They see my laughter,
they hear my cheer,
Yet no one notices
the cracks of my fear.
Every joke, every grin,
a well-rehearsed play,
A mask I perfected,
day after day.

Smiles...