You think you know me—

soft eyes, wide smile,

sunshine that stretches for miles,

no storm, no rain.

You think I’m the joking one,

the spark that makes a circle of friends

burst into laughter.

You think I’m built from kindness and warmth,

the one who stitches every mood back together.

You see me help everyone,

smiling like it’s effortless.

You see people come to me

with every little crisis,

because I’m the “go-to” for anything.

But when the clock drips past midnight,

and the room swallows all its light,

I am not happy.

I am not cheerful.

I am not even lonely—just hollow.

There is no humor, no filter.

Only the voice in my head

that tears away the costumes

I wear for the world—

the mask thats molded to match the faces around me.

I’ve worn them so long

that if the real me looked in the mirror, I wouldn't

recognize her.

You think you know me—

but in truth,

neither of us has ever met the real me.