She is hurting

Though she hides it well

She feels hollow

Empty, void of feelings

She has an audience

People watching

Expecting perfection

Waiting for failure

Her spirit is crumpled

Stomped on one to many times

She puts on a brave face

She won’t let the spectators see

She is watching herself from the outside

She sees herself smile

She feels herself sinking

She is spinning

There is no way out

Yet still she smiles

She laughs at jokes that aren’t funny

She grins at friends

But are they really friends if they can’t see

She is spiraling

She is stuck

It is like falling down a pit with no bottom

In a dreamlike state

She can’t stop

Her heart cries out but no one hears

Maybe if she let her smile fade

Someone would notice

People could help

But vulnerability is dangerous

When people are watching

She is walking on the edge

She needs the help to pull her to them

And hold her close

Tell her she is safe here

She needs a bottom

A bottom to her inner pit

A safety net to catch her at the end of her cyclone

At last she is free

Laying in the net

The Net

Her hero