Perfection

Everything isn't sunshine and rainbows.

Bright sun shines down on sparkling green lawns

Pristine white houses sit upon the shimmering grass

All in a row like a set of newly whitened teeth

It’s sunny suburbia.

Where everything is perfect.

If only you could take a peek inside the wide windows

Move aside the always closed curtains and see the “perfection” that is happening inside

You might see thirteen-year old Sabrina

Take two bites of her food, and then excuse herself to the bathroom,

Finger eager to enter her moth

You might see nineteen year-old Chad

In the basement, rolled up dollar bill pressed up against his nose,

Trying to get the very last bit of his fix

While his mother is upstairs, looking at pictures of her newly deceased husband

Whose habits were passed on to his son

You might see forty year-old Carla

Putting pressed powder over a bruise by her eye

But she only banged her eye by falling against the coffee table

At least that’s what she tells her co-workers

You might see sixteen year-old Paul

Covering the ears of his eleven year-old sister

As his parents scream at each other from the next room over

You might see fifteen year-old Kayla

Holding the only thing that’s been positive to her all year

A pregnancy test.

Eighteen year-old Tim just left her house an hour before, zippering his fly, satisfied.

Or you might see seventeen year-old Michelle,

In her Burberry scarf, Louboutin heels, doused in Chanel no. 9 perfume

Crying, loud sobs, into her pillow

That pillow has now become accustomed to her tears. It is an everyday ritual.

The doors open to the homes.

Sabrina, chewing a piece of gum,

Heads to ballet class

Chad, non-stop moving, calls his dealer to see when he can meet up that night for his next fix, and then his unassuming girlfriend to see if he can come over later

Carla waves to a neighbor, heels clacking on the pavement

She escapes to work

Paul and his sister take the dog out, as his sister wipes away tears

And he holds them back

Kayla walks to the garbage can, and throws the pregnancy test away

It never happened.

And Michelle gets in her BMW, daddy’s credit card in hand

She reapplies her mascara

Bright sun shines down on the sparkling green lawns

Pristine white house’s sit upon the shimmering grass

All in a row like a set of newly whitened teeth

It’s sunny suburbia, where everything is perfect.

Right?

 

Author's Note

Please ignore any grammatical errors! Also, this poem is quite old, it was one of the first I have written. I would like to think I may have gotten a bit better! Thank you for reading, feel free to review! I would love that.

Reviews

[Pushkar Prabhat]

This will still be a fiction in India. but from what i have seen in several documentaries and movies and tv series about the western countries............i think its bang on! Honest and real.
wonderfully crafted.
i loved it!
:)

[Lindsay Hope]

Thank you so much, you're far too kind! :)

[Pushkar Prabhat]

you are welcome!

[Blogger]

Man....this is excellent! I have a low tolerance for reading crap so this was refreshing! I love how interesting this is and how it all comes back around at the end with each character. Very well done!

[Lindsay Hope]

Thank you so much, I really appreciate it!!

[Lindsay Hope]

Thank you so much, I really appreciate it!!

[Blogger]

Its easy to read quality writing. I dont mean to sound mean or anything but I have a very hard time reading bad material.....this one was really good though! I'll read more of your stuff.

[Lindsay Hope]

No, I completely get that, you're just being honest. I feel the same way. But thank you so much again, I really appreciate it and I hope you enjoy!

[misha]

I loved the honesty in this piece. Everything is not always as it seems. You depicted the reality behind the fake mask that many people put on. Keep it up!

[Lindsay Hope]

Thank you so much!!