3

Cool, they say, a word like ice

Slick and smooth, a calculated price

But I never planned this icy shell

Never aimed to be a story to tell

Of effortless grace, and a heart so still

Guess that's just how I climb this lonely hill

What I think I am? A tangled mess

Of hopes and dreams, dressed in borrowed dress

Trying to find footing on unsteady ground

Where expectations echo all around

A clumsy soul, with a fear to fall

Hidden deep beneath this crafted wall

I never strived to be this, you see

This picture perfect, effortlessly free

I yearned for connection, a hand to hold

A story untold, more precious than gold

But somewhere along the way, the roles reversed

And this facade became the thing I nursed

Many might disagree, they always do

See the surface shine, ignore what's true

They see the cool, the calm, the collected face

Don't see the cracks, the vulnerable space

Where I'm just a person, trying to survive

Longing to truly feel, truly alive

Cool...it's just a word, a fleeting sound

Lost in the echo of what I've found

Maybe someday I'll shed this frozen skin

And let the real me finally begin.

Until then, I'll wear this label with a sigh

And pray they never see the tears in my eye.