You greet the day with your painted smile
Glistening teeth, perfectly aligned
No outward signs of suffering
A sea of it inside

Every day, you wear your painted smile
Like a clowns, it’s a charade
Meant to mask your true face
Teeth can only stay clenched for so long

I watch as your chin grows heavy
Harder to hold up
As you walk with the weight of the world
Pressed inside your chest

Yet you continue onward
With your head held high
As if the world bends and breaks
To your every request

But when the day is done
I’m the only one who sees
The waterfalls that race down your cheeks
And wash away your painted smile