The Boy Inside

Everyone has a secret
Something they keep hidden inside
Unless you really get to know them
Or if you can look inside their mind.

See the mother with her baby
She is out every night
Paying babysitters to cover for her
While she's at the local college
Taking classes
Learning - quite simply - how to read and write.

A businessman in his smart suit
With his copy of The Guardian under his arm
But who would ever guess
He moonlights
As a stripper
Gyrating in a g-string for a nameless girl
And he loves it.

Over on the corner stands a plain Jane
No one notices her, no one sees her
She hides behind the safety of anonymity
Yet everyone knows her name
And they wait impatiently
For the next installment of her book to hit the shelves
And the Times Best Seller top spot.

Now cast your gaze upon this girl, study me once again
Such a pretty face and smile
Brimming with apparent confidence in who I am
But take a step back
If you move your head just so and squint
You might be able to see the real me
The boy inside.

Everyone has a secret
Something they keep hidden inside
Unless you really get to know them
Or if you can look inside their mind.