Used

How do I answer the question
"What's wrong?"
First thought was to apologize
For my faltered song
And dance
Entranced
By the emptiness in my hands
So much disappointment where I stand
I can barely stand
Behind this smile
Still they proclaim their demands
Mistake my kindness
For boundless,
My positivity for soundless motives and guile

Fake recognize fake I guess,
With masks worn like fleeting styles
Just to cover up the scars and burns
These struggles left behind
Like dog-eared pages
Haunting with promises of their return

I'm trying to learn acceptance
To grow with my pain
With every turning page
But the ink is too fresh
I fear the smudge left at my fingertips
Leaves every clean sheet tainted
With my former self
And my spine misshapen
From every chapter I've ripped from it
In hopes I can forget
And write myself a new ending

All they see is a pretty cover
Bright and smooth
With a laminate protector
Over my hard, leather bound shell
Calling to them from the dusty shelf
Like I might have all the answers
Or at least an interesting story to tell

A tribute to the author on the back
She smiles and suggests they seek another novel
One with cohesive character development
Or perhaps more literary eloquence
Not this collection of cliche
Love poems, and coming of age
Tales spoken in overly romanticized ways
Just to repeat the same mistakes..

I've fallen in love with the way my heart aches
The way tears taste
Everytime this lesson is told

Enticing readers into my tormented soul
Printed and copied for their consumption