Poem - darkness behind my eyes

darkness behind my eyes

I know you can smell it

can see the taint in me

the freshly turned earth

new graves

for dead hopes

I’m trying

to hide it

to fit in

to protect you

I do my best

to follow the script

to make you comfortable

to show no scars

but

in my mouth

beneath

all my words

is a scream

and under

my platitudes

a raging despair

I reassure you

I’m doing okay

but tonight

I want

to claw

the nightmares

from my brain.