On the outside
she looks well put together
her lips always rouged
her hair usually brushed
in a push-up bra and high-heels
with a skirt to emphasize her best feature
she can pass as a knock-out
which is amusing
since inside
she’s torn to pieces
and the sham of seeming complete
is another mask, on another mask
just like wearing a wig, if you are going bald
just like heals, to disguise short stature
just like bras, hiding a multitude of years
pulling you down
pulling you down
pulling you down
she woudn’t mind
knowing how much
a fresh key would cost
to wind her up
back to some semblance of …
and when they say she’s beautiful
ask her; why that doesn’t make her happy
she’s lost for words
there’s no way to express
how flattery is no compensation
how seeing her careful pretense
only reinforces the hostage