I say it softly, a whisper to the wind,
A shield of words where my truth lies pinned.
"I'm okay..." echoes, rehearsed, refined,
A fragile script to keep others blind.
A smile stitched tight, but the threads fray thin,
While shadows of sorrow echo within.
I laugh on cue, I speak with grace,
Yet silence screams in this hollow space.
Eyes meet mine, searching, hoping to see—
But I give them the version that's easiest to be.
Polished and bright, without a scar,
Hiding the ache of who I really are.
"I'm okay..." I repeat like a sacred vow,
To convince the mirror, somehow, somehow.
If I say it enough, maybe I'll find
The strength to quiet the storm in my mind.
But my heart beats louder than words can say,
Pounding truths that won’t drift away.
Tears press forward, but they won’t break through,
Because "I'm okay..." is all I allow them to do.
I build these walls, layer by layer,
To bury the weight that I cannot bear.
Pretending I'm whole, when I'm breaking apart—
A quiet collapse in the depths of my heart.
Yet maybe, just maybe, if I keep it inside,
I’ll trick myself and the pain will subside.
But until that day, I’ll smile and play,
Whispering softly, “I’m okay… I’m okay…”
