Pretty Faces, Ugly Places (Explained)

I have carried you

Through screams and

Through senseless commands,

While sporting a face

For commercial drug ads,

While pulled at

By wandering hands.

I smile, not slap

At the fingers that grab

Because THAT is the service

That YOU should demand.

I have fought for you,

Through taking the hits

You should take on your own,

And why wasn’t I

More careful, my cuts

Got blood on your nice

Shiny coat.

I smile, not scream,

At the changing energy

From the second I matter

To the second I don’t.

I have sacrificed for you.

My peace, the comfort

Of knowing my place

Near ailments and liars,

With a smile, I thought,

Was the shield that I needed

To keep myself safe,

But the smile was wrong,

Turns out, all along,

“Yes!” was the prettiest

Face I could make.