Gilded Hollow

In rooms that shine, the echo grows
A polished life, in monochrome

Gold looks good on everybody
But it doesn't fill the body
Laugh on cue, pose for light
Empty hands in gloves of white

There's a comfort that can freeze the skin
Soft beds, soft words, a quiet grin
Crowds say: Perfec, friends say: Blessed
But silence taps inside the chest

Dinner plates and camera flashes
Sweet routines in tidy matches
Every fine becomes a trend
A pretty loop that never ends

And somewhere under all that glow
A darker current starts to flow
Not sad enough to call for help
Just numb enough to feel like self

We're dressed in daylight, built to please
But starving where nobody sees
Sparkle loud, keep spirits high
While something in us stays denied

Turn it up, let panic bloom
Make a shrine out of the room
If the shine can't make us whole
Let the rhythm take control

Count it out, don't ask why
Breathe in bright, exhale dry
Clap on two, smile on three
Hide the hollow, move with me

Approval tastes like sugar glass
Sweet for seconds, then it cracks
Being good becomes a job
A careful heart behind a lock

Everyone gets the curated you
The version that can't bruise in public view
But late at night, behind the grin
The quiet asks: What's underneath?

If comfort is a velvet
If comfort is a cradle made of light
Why does it feel like losing sight?
And if we step off perfect lines
Do we fall, or do we find?

Some emptiness wears perfume
Some loneliness fills a room
We don't break, we just go thin
Like paper lanterns in the wind

So dance it clean, dance it cold
Till the truth turns gold
Not healed, just awake
Not safe, just brave

We're dressed in daylight, built to please
But starving where nobody sees
Sparkle loud, keep spirits high
While something in us stays denied

Turn it up, let panic bloom
Make a shrine out of the room
If the shine can't make us whole
Let the rhythm take control

Behind the glass, we learn to glow