"Have a great day!" she says with a smile.
So perky and bright, never doubting herself.
Confident and graceful, helping others get through life.
If they only knew it's she that needs the help.
Her life sitting on the edge of a knife,
One wrong move and it's going to fall apart.
But that smile of hers, makes it all seem ok.
After all, why would she smile if she weren't happy?
Would she really be this helpful if her life wasn't already perfect?
What more could she want?
She's never hurt, never upset, always wonderfully happy.
If they looked in her eyes they'd see it.
They would see those tears she lets fall at night.
The scars from pains that will never truly heal.
Sure, they'll close up, only to be opened again by some fresh heartache.
And what of that smile? That cheerful smile.
Wait. Or is it so cheerful after all?
Just look closely and you can see..it's more like a grimace,
A way to try and hide how she feels.
Like a band-aid, covering it all up.
And what of her help? Is it really that great?
No. No, it's not.
You don't really need her after all.
She just tells you what you already know and remind you how good you have it.
Why though? And how?
How is it she always knows what to say? And knows what to remind you of?
Could it be that she wishes to be told these things herself?
Is it possible that these reminders are her way of showing jealousy?
No, of course not. After all, what should she be jealous of?
Her life has no problems. She feels no pain.
But really, she feels it more than most.
And when she listens to you, she's just re-opening her old wounds.
But you'd never notice. If you look at her
All you see is the good and that smile. That happy smile.
The band-aid that covers all those scars that never go away.
The band-aid that gets ripped off every night, hurting more and more each time.
The band-aid that hides the truth.
Think about it. Nobody can see beneath a band-aid
Author notes
Written July 5th, 2006
A contest entry
- Show me what you got! by SilentRose.
450 points, ended May 11, 2007, 18 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
What did you think
Comments
1 - 9 of 9
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Wow... this might be a winner
I really like the dramatic change of the tone in the middle of this poem... when you start writing about how "she" really feels...
Very well done...
I wish you lots of luck in the contest!
Annie 
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WOW! that holds alot. i know the feeling and i like the way you made it seem.
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wow that was good it makes you really think about what is going on around you i loved it
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we all know someone who is hiding a lot of pain behind their smile. we just have a hard time finding out enough about the pain, in order to love these people to help them deal with their pain. touching
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oh, so great...
Wow... I really don't know what to say, it almost made me cry, I am really moved by that, much applause for you... Thank you for this piece... wow... -
Wow. It's wonderful. It's very powerful. It's exactly how I felt during my depression, and still feel sometimes now.I like how you used a band-aid instead of a mask.Poets and Authors tend to use the whole mask thing a lot. Although I am one of the guilty. Reading this was a nice change from the ususal. Like a breath of fresh air. Thank you for sharing this piece.
Great write,keep writing,
FallenPoeticAngel
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Thanks so much. Those last lines were supposed to really make you think.
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especially those last 4 lines. crazy power.
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wow. one word. powerful.
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