Rose Covered Heart

A rose without petals
Completely covered in thorns
Protecting itself
From external harm
But alas
How do you protect
What lies within
How do you stay over the line
Of sink or swim
Parading
On the very edge 
Mocking
And taunting death

A heart
Under lock and key
Not willing to risk getting hurt
But pining to be free
Because
How do you protect
The most delicate of things
How do you listen
While it screams
Even silently
You can't help
But to feel the agony
That dominates the space
As the darkness
Consumes this place

A person
Seemingly broken
Far beyond repair
Alone at night asking themselves
"Does anybody even care?"
Because it hurts
And the sun no longer shines
So late at night
And nobody hears their cries
Or the pleading for death
The weeping is drowned out
By an intake of breath
So sudden
As they whisper to themselves
That everything is okay
And they take a smile
To survive another day
Hoping that one day
What they say is true
But faking happieness
Is getting harder to do