She

She stands tall,
looks straight ahead,
refusing to let the tears fall
though they burn behind her eyes.

She holds back the gulping sobs
that threaten to tear her throat
and grits her teeth, clenches her jaw
in order to hold them back.

She walks away
keeping herself from running
blindly down the hall,
seeking a place of refuge
where she can loose her tight control.

She stumbles into a corner
where she knows she won’t be found.
Briefly her control slips
and unleashes her pent-up pain.

She regains her composure
cleans herself up,
puts on her mask
and faces the world once more
with none the wiser of her pain.