Smiles in the hallway

Her paper thin mask is getting old and worn
and the painted smile is faded and torn.
She asks herself, "why lie?"
Because its so much easier to lie and put on the mask than be asked twenty times a day
if you're okay.
And it's so much easier to pretend and act than to tell the truth
because the truth is made of serrated edges and tears.
And no one wants to tell the truth because their salty tears make the wounds hurt that much more.