My Lament

                                    MY LAMENT

                                   By Emma Taub

                        With all my trials in so short a life,

                        I am aged far beyond my years,

                        My brain, stricken with what seems everlasting strife,

                        My pillow, constantly damp with tears.

                        Beneath this mask I wear, there is almost nothing left of me,

                        But an empty, aching heart,

                        And a tender, raw, inner psyche.

                        Those who I thought cared for me,

                        Quickly turned away,

                        The once gleesome happiness within me,

                        Instantly poisoned and dismayed.

                        Although all joy in the world is escaping,

                        And I fear the worst is around the bend,

                        I have a small hope that this hell imbedded in me,

                        Will finally be put to an end.

                So, onward, I march.

Onward in this endless sea of artificial laughing grins,

While they tease me,

Poking and pecking at me,

 I wait for my last spark of hope,

To, at long last, come out, and save me,

From this cavalry.

But, alas, I am pulled into this parade,

This Mardi Gras of fake ecstasy,

                 Plastered with this painful smile,

                  With these inner demons inside of me.

When I lay my head to rest, at last,

Hopeful of some long-needed peace,

That’s when the real terror begins,

                 As whispers of demons fill my ears,

And every nightmare I’ve ever witnessed, suddenly released.