You See: I See! ! Poem by Becky Ginn

You see: The perfect face.
Glossy lips. Smoky eyes. Rosy cheeks. It lies.
I see: The hidden trace.
Gloss hides the many cuts chewed deep,
Smoke hides bags from lack of sleep,
Rose hides the look of pasty white,
I lie.

You see: The cheerful smile.
Easy life. The good old highs. No pain. It lies.
I see: The troubles piled.
Easy life instead of the blows,
Highs instead of the lows,
No pain instead of my tearful cry,
I lie.

You see: The laughing eyes.
Happy. In no way shy. Secure. They lie.
I see: The clever disguise.
Happiness covers never ending sad,
Confidence is what I wish I had,
Security a luxury that isn’t mine,
I lie.

You see: What I want you to see.
I see: The real me.

I am a broken soul taped together
Though the cracks remain forever.
I am a broken soul you use as help
Though it’s of no use to myself.
I am a broken soul hidden by skin
Though the hurt can be seen within.

You choose not to ask, so I choose not to tell
Only I know me so well.
You might think that I am shallow and fake
But that’s just something I make.
You may think that I look whole,
But look past my mask to the broken soul.