The Well-Polished Smile
A perfect disguise
The door opens upon a new day dawning,
Just another 24 hours in the grand scheme of things,
The wind blows, never needing a reason,
The sun rises, without a care,
The world turns, with no hesitation,
There’s never any consideration to how she feels,
Disregarding her personal tilt, her dramas, her happiness or even her tears.
**
She soldiers on,
Standing tall on the threshold of that open door,
A smile upon her face,
Shoulders high, back straight,
Pride wrapping her within cotton and lace.
**
A mother, raising her babies; forever alone,
Unlovable!
Warped in the blackest of nightmares,
Sleeplessness her best friend and constant companion.
**
She rides the workforce under consistent restraint,
Hours deepened, instilling the threat of submission,
Her back bent in toil, the world upon her shoulders,
Governed by the evil necessity of the mighty dollar,
Bent but never broken.
**
Her trust tried and tested within the lies of societal love,
The sweet nothings whispered in the dead of the night,
False hope, manipulation and heart-wrenching cruelty,
Battered upon her brokenness until she shouldered the blame,
Dredged bleeding, until her legs grew with the stability needed to walk away,
As she shrugged off each betrayal, heaped upon her compassion.
**
And at the start of each new day, she continued to open the door to that outside world,
She stood tall,
Her shoulders refused to bow,
Her back refused to break,
Her smile well-worn and intact,
Her fragile mask holding tight — just!
**
The world watches the drama unfold,
Curiosity dredged from the depths,
As she saunters past she hears the judgements,
“She’s the ice-maiden, battle-scarred and unapproachable. Cold as ice. Fearless and unbreakable!,”
But they never hear her breathless whisper from behind the mask,
“Fearless! Huh! If only they knew; I’m scared — I’m scared of every little darn thing!”
About the Creator
Colleen Millsteed
My first love is poetry — it’s like a desperate need to write, to free up space in my mind, to escape the constant noise in my head. Most of the time the poems write themselves — I’m just the conduit holding the metaphorical pen.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Masterful proofreading
Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
Keep reading
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Comments (16)
I am totally new on here and returning to writing after a long absence and yours is the my first read . I thoroughly enjoyed your creation and congratulations on TS. I now look forward to reading many more of yours and also sharing mine.
Brilliant writing, well deserved for Top Story xx
Wonderful. Congrats on TS!
Such a powerful piece, Colleen. Congratulations on your well-deserved top story!👏👏👏❤
A poem with many images
Congratulations on Top Story!! Very telling story of a woman’s journey to push on despite…everything.
Congratulations on Top Story!
A wonderful description of so many of us making our way...
This poem speaks volumes about the silent battles so many endure. The emotional honesty in your language gives the reader a profound sense of empathy and admiration for her perseverance.
Back to say congratulations on your Top Story! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
Well written and nice work!
Gorgeous work Colleen! So strong & powerful! Go Colleen we need bent but never broken on t shirts asap! 😁 Very well done my friend!
This is a fantastic take on the Challenge. I can feel the vulnerability and yet also the strength of the poem’s protagonist. She has to put on a mask of coldness and fearlessness to get through the day, but even though she is scared of everything, that is her greatest strength—just getting through the day after everything she has been through. Excellent job, and congrats on the Top Story!
Love how you captured the feeling of the earth, through everything she does, everyday without hesitation. Absolutely love the description of pride wrapping her within cotton and lace. Absolutely heartbreaking. The picture you painted of a mother. Whose only companion is sleeplessness. The evil necessity of mighty dollars. YES! This is right up my street. I love how deep, real and raw you went with this challenge. 'Betrayal heaped upon her compassion' I am blown away. Not only that, my emotions are stirred by your skillful way of writing words that touch. Metaphors that blink exactly the pain of the women in society. 'She's the ice -maiden...' I really love this line. I especially love that there was a reply to it. When the mask was removed. Outstanding work Colleen. 🤗❤️
Hey. I liked how the last lines were unexpected! Vulnerable. Beneath the mask. I’m use to your take no prisoners poetry. Terrific piece Colleen!
Feel the fear and do it anyway! Your poem reminded me of your motto. Loved your take on this challenge!