A Book By its Cover

You may never know what it takes for him to walk that tall,

Long strides, swinging arms, straight back, head high despite the fall.

You may never know the things he’s felt responsible for

Hurting everything he loves and cares about when it was inside, the enemy in his war

When outwardly he lashed his anger and self-hate

Instead of fighting it within himself and setting his heart straight

He once was at the bottom of the mountain, not fighting at all

And the battle is yet to be won, but upwards, he’s begun to crawl.

You may never know how hard a battle it is for him to fight

Or how much darkness he sees inside himself when he now shows light

You will never understand the pit of self despair he was in,

The depth of his depression, anger, hate or sin

You may now see a man who appears good and proud

But what if his heart was covered in a sick cloud?

You may never truly know him, his appearance and conduct outward is a matter of deception

And what if he was the rule and not an exception?

Everyone struggles and fights with something on the inside

Whether their posture shows defeat or boasts of pride

You would not be so foolish then to judge someone based on what they show

Because most people, you will never truly know