Work Text:
I was always good at pretending. I’ve been pretending I was mending.
I’ve learned to smile on quiet cues, to convince the world I made it through.
I played the part, I know it well, A polished face no one could tell.
I built a version they believed, My mask unshaken, unaggrieved.
I’m the one who listens, never bends, I always have some strength to lend.
But strength can crack, and silence bleeds, And no one hears my hidden needs.
Behind my mask, the truth decays, In quiet, unforgiving ways.
There are a thousand thoughts I never share, Their weight too heavy, too much to bear.
I want to break, to just be known, To say I’m tired of doing this alone.
But my fear reminds me where I stand, I’m the one who helps, the steady hand.
So I’ll keep playing the part they see, The stronger, better version of me.
And I’ll hide the truth I can’t convey: I’m not okay- but I’ll pretend I am anyway.