Polished Lies

Things are not always

what they seem to be.

Some truths wear a better disguise,

polished enough to pass,

softened just enough

to be believed.

Smiles can be rehearsed.

Silence can mean more than words.

And what looks like strength

is sometimes just exhaustion

standing upright.

I’ve learned to look past the surface—

past the shine,

past the stories people tell

to survive themselves.

Because clarity doesn’t announce itself.

It waits.

Things are not always what they seem to be,

and sometimes the real damage

isn’t what’s visible—

it’s what’s carefully hidden

until no one’s left

to notice.