“All That Glitters is Not Golden”

“All That Glitters is Not Golden”

Look around and you may see that many in our midst possess “gold-leaf happiness”

Their outer façade glistens in the light of day as they brush on a new face
while their true-self is rotting from the inside-out in the dark of night

They anguish each day when looking in the mirror as they realize their ego has bettered them

They fake their way through another day attempting to live up to all of the unrealistic expectations

Society has pushed on them

Starting over is never easy and often painful as stripping away their outer veneer

means allowing others to see the person that they keep hidden behind their mask of insecurity and fear

So many begin this journey only to revert to the seduction of the glitter and applause

A few manage to scrape away the many layers of guilt and shame accumulated over the years

The face they now see in the mirror is a reflection of a life lived �" real in every sense of the word

© G. A. Bernard 2022