A/N: Also written a very long time ago.

Pieces, Mask, Smile

I try to keep my pieces pressed together,

Try to keep the mask pasted on tightly,

Try to keep a smile painted over my tired face.

But still my pieces begin to crumble,

The mask begins to crack,

The smile begins to droop.

And small broken pieces slip

Through the mask’s cracks

To replace the smile.

My teeth sink down in frustration,

Two holes gnawed in the pink of my lower lip.

I start to wring my hands,

Twist and turn, yank and pull.

I tap my feet frantically,

Spelling a message only I can hear.

I dig the hooked knives that are my nails

Into the soft flesh on the undersides of my arms.

I trace bitter thoughts with my fingers,

Invisible hateful words engraved in the air.

Then I catch myself unraveling and

Stop

To blink my eyes shut,

Breathe in deeply,

Out slowly,

Once,

Twice,

And press the pads of my thumbs

Over my closed eyelids

Until swirling spots of color

Break the void of black.

I open my eyes slowly.

And the pieces are pressed together,

The mask is pasted on tightly,

A smile painted over my tired face.