When laughter in public ends in tears so private
The words crafted does end up shafted
The cadence and flair would come from elsewhere
What's worth trying if it results in despair
Fake smiles and charades can only prolong
The unease of duality that it brings along
With earnestness and concern becoming a self-seeking scheme
Visions and ambitions, a relegated pipe dream
When striving for the goal is morphed into a face-saving plea
One last attempt out of a desperate flea
To whittle away at a certain prophecy
Of looming despondence, one of misery
The wounds hurt the most when struck from proximity
With malice shrouded in a veil of honesty
When analyzed with no leeway for amnesty
Everything flies when push comes to shove
Better to not get hung up for there's headroom above
Torment for the yesterday doesn't make today better
The difference in between is the one that matters
Comparison, the oft quoted killer of joy
Competition, the exterminator of expression
Freedom is sometimes to not care
Expectations, image, notions and perceptions
All figments of imagination
It's always easier said than it's done
But it's the best advice, bar none
Anonymous, unbound and unruffled
Carry on without much scuffle
With a voice no longer muffled