It's Not Pretense, It's Sorrowful And Uneven Poem by Raj Dronamraju

Raisin-like sky, swallowed distress
The heavens are wrinkled like an unironed dress
Fragile canopy, projectile rain
You make me feel heavy like too much cargo on a plane

When it goes okay, it falls apart someplace else
The see saw is lifted but it's just you on one side
We called a see saw a teeter totter when I was a kid
I am teetering enough

It's pretense as shield to convey phony strength
The front breaks down into parody
You are the joke but the joke is not you

Tied down awning, repressed panic
Outside barricade is gray and granite
Detached culture, the twilight of men
I can't wait to try again