Family Portrait

Cover up the lies with make-up in the mirror; smile -
Wait for the flash and turn your back on the rest,
I may not know the person you are, but I know your style;
And when you`re staggering away is when you`re at your best.

A smile or two won`t hurt, we`re good at putting on a show;
And everyone points in awe at the picture on the wall,
But what goes on behind the lens is something they don`t know;
It kills me to say it, but this fabricated life will be your downfall.

Eyes sweet and blue, shine under the light on the scene;
And the script in his back pocket is rigged, I know the end;
He can say he was working, that he`s sober and clean;
But that`s a lie my back refuses to turn toward and bend.

I`ve spent the last two years bending my back for this man,
And now it`s about time that I take the truth and run;
Because you only get one life, and you do all that you can -
To escape a life like yours; so Daddy, this bullshit is done.

-Jenna Elphick
August 21, 2007