You may see her as confident and certain,
But what you don't see lies behind the curtain:

A once timid girl, even for her age,
Now pushing each day with feigned courage;
She cried daily, her friends around,
Now she cries in the background;
Fewer worries back then,
Now they plague again.

She's not as meek,
But she is weak.

And yet the curtain stays here, strong and steady,
Knowing that what hides has been there already.

September 25th, 2023