The Smile

No one truly knows the truth,

About that smile that has been on your face since your youth.

The one that you get complimented on that seems to sweet and pure,

But no one knows how long you have been fighting for.

That the smile on your face is the easiest thing that you fake,

And how much strength it takes to make.

No one knows that you cry every night,

Fighting to hold on tight.

Despite the hurt, you keep wiping those tears away,

And force yourself to hold on for one more day.

Constantly questioning why you are never good enough,

And why you try so hard to stay positive, even though things have been really tough.

People look into your eyes, but they don't see the hurt and despair,

You so badly want someone to notice that you are not okay, but you know no one really cares. 

Everyday you get up and do what you have to do,

And you have become so good at hiding it, no one knows the pain that you are going through.

With every piece you put back together, two more pieces break instead,

And it sucks, because you can't run away from the voices in your head.

The ones who are constantly telling you to give in,

Because no matter how hard you try, you can't change the way that things have always been.

You're not the girl who gets the happy ever after,

Or the one who gets the love story full of hope and laughter. 

You realize this, but yet you keep trying,

And on the inside, instead of filling you with hope, it leaves you to feel like you're dying.

Every time you allow yourself to feel that little bit of happiness, it gets ripped away,

And it leaves you feeling worse than before, even though you saw it coming anyway.

Everyday you keep trying, even though it takes everything that is in you,

Because that is all you can do, and the people around you would fall apart if they really knew.