There is a reason why I can fake being strong,

Why I can hold my chin up high,

Why I refuse to be trodden down,

When all I want to do is cry.

There is a story for all the grudges I hold,

For all the times I never spoke,

For the insecurities they told,

When I wanted to becoming nothing like smoke.

There are people who have screwed me up,

Who didn’t allow me to speak,

Who made me scarred and beaten up,

Where I’ve become so weak.

There are times where I wanted to win,

That all I had to do was put up a disguise,

Everything was wagered on my grin,

A fake which they did not realize.

There were days that passed as I continued my strategy,

Acting and practice became reality,

But even if it was my work or I was just a prodigy,

Those barbed words became part of me.