They say a picture,

Is worth more than a thousand words.

Except they don't see what the picture hides.

Look closely now.

What do you notice?

The daughter is smiling,

But she cuts herself late in the night.

The son is caught in the midst of a laugh,

Except he has nightmares every night.

The father stands proud,

No one noticed his increased drinking.

The mother still looks radiant,

Yet no one sees the exhaustion sitting upon her eyes.

A picture captures the surface,

Of what everyone believes,

To be a white picket fence life.

But what about everything that's hidden?