Second Skin

I wore applause like armor, stitched from gold and sin

But under all that shimmer, I was aching just to begin

I walked through shadows smiling, each light a painted grin

But you saw the edge I hide beneath my second skin

⸻

Didn’t ask me to perform

Didn’t flinch when I was torn

You just stood there—

Like I was more than what I wore

⸻

You saw the girl behind the glass

You heard the crack beneath the sound

You held the note I couldn’t reach

When I was sinking, not profound

Now every melody I fake

Every lyric I conceal

Falls apart beneath your gaze

Because with you—

It’s real

⸻

They praised the shine, ignored the seams

Took every cry and called it dreams

But you—

You didn’t chase the perfect frame

You stayed when I forgot my name

⸻

Didn’t ask me to perform

Didn’t flinch when I was torn

You just stood there—

Like I was more than what I wore

⸻

You saw the girl behind the glass

You heard the crack beneath the sound

You held the note I couldn’t reach

When I was sinking, not profound

Now every melody I fake

Every lyric I conceal

Falls apart beneath your gaze

Because with you—

It’s real

⸻

I’m not a goddess in this light

Not a myth, or mask, or crown

But you trace the lines I hid

And you sing me back down

⸻

You saw the girl behind the glass

You loved what others feared to find

Now the stage can take my voice—

But you, you took my mind.