Shadows of Love and Pain

I live in the shadows where love and pain collide,

I walk the line but no longer wish to hide.

What's it called when love and pain are the same?

A tangled web, a song unsung.

Conditions set, I can't break free,

Is this what love's supposed to be?

Your needs come first, I swallow my screams,

Drowning in silent, hollow dreams.

Hiding my pain, pretending to smile,

Stretched thin, walking mile after mile.

I gotta hide the truth, keep it inside,

Wear a mask, wear a lie.

You say I must be perfect and true.

I, after all am a reflection of you.

Follow blindly, no questions, no dreams,

Living in shadows, not what it seems.

Every smile a carefully kept secret,

A love that’s fractured, my heart into pieces.

Your image reigns, stands so tall,

If I ask for more, I risk it all.

A worthiness that’s been torn apart,

Lost the love within my heart.

I gotta hide the truth, keep it inside,

Wear a mask, wear a lie.

You say I must be perfect and true.

I, after all am a reflection of you.

Can I break free from these chains?

Find my voice amidst the pain?

A love that heals, not divides,

Free to love, to truly thrive.

Love shouldn’t hurt, love should set free,

Love should allow for the true and best me.