Dark Poetry for Dark People

Perfect

When you try so hard to be perfect,

And you fall right through the cracks,

When you try so hard to hide the pain,

But the tears keep leaving tracks.

*

When you try so hard to not be you,

And you very nearly succeed,

When you try so hard to hold your heart,

To stifle the ache and need.

*

The world is cold, it’s a cruel place,

And you have no one but yourself,

You’re just a page, in an ancient book,

On a lonely, dusty, shelf.

*

People may look, but they always find,

The thing that they want to see,

So they may hear your voice, it’s true,

But they won’t hear the wounded plea.

*

You have to understand the people,

All so very shallow indeed,

They’ll attempt to make you better,

Just so they don’t have to watch you bleed.

*

So while your soul is shattered, 

And your heart doubly broken,

You’ll hide behind a facade of smiles,

And of words that are happily spoken.