Smile, flash. Eh, delete. Again.

Post it. Flaunt it. Fake it. A ruse.

As I watch. Perceived status swarms in the air like thick smog intoxicating every breath. Surveying as they portray the characters they chose for themselves. Involuntary selection. Actors in a play. Schemers of a ploy. Contributors to a chicanery. Successful. Rich. Funny. Beautiful. Trading identity like currency. Longing for return on investment.

As I watch. Applying shades to camouflage sadness. Carpeting scars to imply wholeness. Ignoring emptiness to imitate happiness.

As I watch. Rouge caked. Facades engineered. Veneers applied.

As I watch. The sadness is crippling. Swirling around and around. Vividly dark and abase. Thousands upon thousands of souls, listless, seeking refuge.

Realizing coping is survival. Vices are selected and reselected. Each of us possessing one, many of us many. Society discriminating and labeling some unacceptable while accepting those they easily fall privy. Over-eating, spending, drug abuse, gossiping, discriminating, hate. The list immense. Nevertheless, a silent debt collecter expecting the dues for use of service. Trickery to acquiesce. Offering more palatable terms for the hoax being executed. “Manage. Mitigate. Fend. Get by. Survive”. Failing to mention the cost to play.

Dealing unthinkable. Facing unimaginable. Pain so deep no light can penetrate.

As I watch. Wait. Just wait.

As I watch. This is heart wrenching.

As I watch. Life is meant for so much more.