In shadows wrapped, a smile I wear, Canvas cracked beneath the glare, 'I'm fine,' I whisper to the night, Though stars bear witness to my plight. Dreams elusive, rest a fight, Meals untouched, appetite slight. The heart beats on in discorded rhyme, Against the ticking clock of time. Yet in this fragile masquerade, Strength in silent echoes laid. A whispered truth beneath the sheen, A spirit brave, though yet unseen.