Stigma

This is devastation
Dressed up in gaiety
Taken by surprise
In its darkest hour
And left to decay
Trivial as it seems
Life masquerading
On a layered stage
Caught in the spotlight
That accentuates lines
Carved into features
Long caricatured
These rictus stares
Frozen in canned laughter
Or a chance at redemption
A connection between souls
But it’s been too long
This pain a heavy weight
Anchored to the perfect sin
Of surviving again.