an endless barrage
of smiling portraits
concealing a cold reality.
a plaster slab painted bright,
that lies atop the ineffable truth.

but why bother caring?
this way is so much easier.
ignoring the cynics,
rebuking the critics
all for a glimmer of happiness.

we live for this rare hope,
that rare chance
that everything is as it seems
we hide behind our painted masks,
cowering in the wake of fear.

yet fame still makes the headlines,
faces seen too many times.
pushed to succeed, pushed to prove,
pushed too far, but nobody knows.

for their fear never sees
the light of day,
and in silence,
it slowly takes over.

until only this hollow facade remains. . .