Cloak of Laughter

I wear a cloak of laughter
  Lest anyone should see
My dress of sorrow underneath
  And stop to pity me.

I wear a cloak of laughter
  Lest anyone should guess
That what is hid beneath it
  Is less than happiness. . . .

But, ah, what does it matter
  To you who are so wise?
My cloak falls tattered at my feet
  Before your tender eyes.

For cloaks to cover sorrow
  Are meant for stranger folk;
One cannot hide away from friends
  Beneath a laughing cloak.

Oh, futile cloak of laughter,
  How frail you are and thin!
Love looks through you so easily
  And sees the grief within.

--Abigail Cresson