It's hard to see from the outside looking in

What really makes a person tick.

A girl standing at the end of the hallway

Talking to her friends

Looks relaxed and unafraid,

But she's clutching her books

Waiting for her moment to run away.

Society is skillful in its deceit.

Peers are condescending in their ignorance.

Even in a poem it's difficult for me to talk about myself.

It's easier to hide behind a mask rather than take it off.

To put myself in new situations,

To be the center of attention,

Something can go wrong-

Something has to go wrong.

To calculate the outcome

Has me living in the past,

Or maybe the future?

Either way, I need to take a step back.

I need to realize, not all humans are bad.

I wake up and put my makeup on,

To present myself to the world like a display.

Say this now,

Look away now,

Smile now.

It's all eyes on you.

People see quiet and reserved

On the inside, I'm so much more.

So what's holding me back?

Why the tricks and the mask?

Because to show your real self is to be naked,

To expose who you are is vulnerability,

I hide because it's self-preservation.