Strong, be strong
We commanded her.
So she zipped her lips shut
Pasted on a smile but
Slowly decayed inside
While she tried so hard
So hard
To keep her woes within her.

All because we didn't know
How to console a strong girl
Who was never sad
Never cried
Never seemed to hurt.

But people are never what they seem.

She was carefree.
That's what we thought.
She was our relief, our respite
From the black sea of doubt.
But little did we know
She cared too much
Far too much
She was drowning in the sea of doubt
While acting like driftwood for us.

Suddenly, her strong shell cracked.
It snapped, and out came
A weak, shivering creature
Looking for warmth
For love
For care.

We didn't know how to provide it.

So she shrivelled up
And became a hard carcass.

She became what we wanted her to be,
Didn't she?
We should be relieved our driftwood is back.
But what is this guilt?