What a Tangled Web

She paints her nails
She paints her face
But all the paint
Can’t erase
The pain she feels
The scars she bears
She dresses well
She coifs her hair
She smiles a smile
That hides the pain
All she does
Can’t keep her sane
Her inner wounds
Hidden from all
They cut her deep
Make her feel small
She tries to climb
Out of the gloom
But every night
She sits in her room
And stares into
Her reflected face
And bleeds out
What she can’t erase
A little nick
A bigger scar
Until one night
She’s gone too far
They find her there
At peace at last
Finally free
From her past
Now scars won’t heal
It’s far too late
To save her from
Her loved one’s fate
It wasn’t her
Who was abused
She carried guilt
Of another used
She knew the name
But couldn’t tell
Another’s blood
On her hands as well
Another died
She let it be
She couldn’t admit
What others could see
But couldn’t prove
Only she could
Testify
And she knew she should
But she couldn’t stand
To let her world fall
He was her husband
After all
The house is still
Silent as the grave
Two lives he took
Only one she gave