eyes can be deceiving — Summary

i am naked. but my clothes coat my form i am in pain. but my skin stays intact my mind is at war but i smile

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Sarah's poem is about the gap between how a person looks and how they feel. Each pair of lines sets an outer surface against an inner truth. The speaker says she is naked, yet clothes cover her body. She is in pain, yet her skin is unbroken. Her mind is at war, yet she smiles. Nothing on the outside gives her away.

The first line is the most striking. "Naked" seems to mean exposed or vulnerable, even though she is fully dressed. The poem suggests she feels seen through, or at least feels raw underneath, while the world sees someone ordinary. The pain has no wound to point to, so no one has reason to ask about it.

The mood is quiet and weary. The lowercase letters, short lines and lack of drama make it sound like a confession spoken calmly. That calm is what makes it sad: she has learned to hide the struggle so well that it barely shows, even in the way she tells it. The title, "eyes can be deceiving," sums it up.

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