behind the smile

she giggles with glee 

her face youthful

she´s so happy 

she is bubbling with life 

she skips instead of walking because she says it fun this way 

she sweet as cherry pie 

she wears a pink backpack with a big sun on the front pocket 

she wears her hair in pigtails 

her eyes her distant and dead 

her smiles is plastic 

her tears  sharp and cuts you to the throat when she cries

she no longer skips 

her backpack is no longer pink 

her sun is barely staying on her backpack 

she sits at her desk 

and she puts on her plastic smile 

and her teacher looks at her 

and says Tyla are you okay 

and she open her  mouth and replies I am fine 

and slowly she recedes into her mind 

because it safer that way