Effort Isn’t Loud

I show up ready Like it’s nothing, no big deal. But calm is just a front I put on, No one sees the ache They say thanks, but don’t see the work, Only the finished things I do. They don’t know how many times I’ve held it together when it got hard. They see the results, not the fight, Like it all came easy overnight. They say, “You always have it figured out,” But they don’t know the truth. I check my work twice or more, Late at night when no one cares. I clean and fix before they ask, But effort’s never what they see It’s just expected of me. I hide these tired eyes And they love it when it’s done, But not the work behind it all.