You’d never know the mess she made; she always locked the door behind her

The cold made her ever more careful, she could never be too sure

What she did in the dark she kept to herself, she wanted to fool them all

And they all played a fool for the longest time; they stood back and watched her fall

She kept it all rather quiet, tried so hard not to let out her cries

She thought it’d be better this way-to keep herself in her disguise

So she lied to them all, and they didn’t care; they had no reason for doubt

She shut the door tight and put on her mask so her secret wouldn’t get out

But after a particularly harrowing night, she wasn’t in her right of mind

She put on her mask, half-hearted, at that, and left the door open behind

Everyone noticed, but all turned their heads; they didn’t know what to say

They were used to pretending, convinced of the lies, so they looked the other way

But her mask began cracking, and she embraced it; she was too tired to hide

And soon she just crumbled, a pathetic little thing, couldn’t conceal what was inside

She thought this was it, it was all she could take, so she relinquished the rest of her heart

Gave in to the metal, the numbness of night, the cold drip of everything dark

So long, she thought of the end, and so long she longed to let herself sleep

And she would have that night if not for the one who refused to let her be

Someone she didn’t know noticed her face beneath the mask that she wore

The stranger recognized the void within the façade she bore

The head that never turned, the eyes that didn’t disperse, looked steady on her then

A simple smile, an outstretched hand, a reminder that she had a friend

That stupid face she couldn’t forget when she felt the metal against her hip

The beautiful tragedy that echoed in the depths of her mind, as if from those careful lips

And as she focused in on simply nothing, the perfect silence of going numb

There was some small sound, a rhythm, like the thump of a drum

Her own heart had paused, her breath all expelled, she hoped it too would cease

But to her dismay it vibrated thicker, against every edge of her brain it increased

Something about it she couldn’t ignore, it shook her away from the brink

Back into the rhythm of her own body, reluctantly, and she continued to think

Why now couldn’t she let go; she was so ready, so willing, Death at her door

But that God damn drum, it beat on, her heart always a fool, and she couldn’t ignore

And for that she hated the heart that cared, the face that showed concern

She hated the hands that showed support and that forced her to return

But nevertheless, she slept that night, in all her life never so complete

Though she was alone, she wasn’t alone; the drum sang her heart to sleep

And when she did wake, she was aware of the wet on her cheek from the night over

From tears of anguish, tenderly kissed by the angel that insisted she recover