Little Miss Deception — The Smile She Practiced in the Bathroom

Lyrics

[Intro]

[Verse 1]
The steam recedes from the glass.
There you are. 
The first draft of me. 
Before the edits.
The air still tastes of mint and morning.
The fluorescent light hums its one low note.
It’s time to build the face for the door.

[Chorus]
And now, the smile.
Not the real one, no.
The useful one.
Zygomaticus major, hold.
Just the mouth.
The eyes stay quiet.
This is the gentle lie.
The one that says “I’m fine” when the air is sharp.
The soft rose lipstick seals the shape of it.

[Verse 2]
Today is the talk with Helen.
Three P.M.
I’ll need the “concerned but firm” look.
Eyebrows slightly drawn.
A slow, considered nod. 
I practiced it last night, after brushing my teeth.
“Of course, I understand,” I’ll say.
And the mirror has already heard me say it seventeen times.

[Chorus]
And now, the smile.
Not the real one, no.
The useful one.
Zygomaticus major, hold.
Just the mouth.
The eyes stay quiet.
This is the gentle lie.
The one that says “I’m fine” when the air is sharp.
The soft rose lipstick seals the shape of it.

[Bridge]
There’s a faint metallic taste.
Pre-show jitters.
I wonder, sometimes, what the unedited version would do.
If she’d just walk out the door with the face she woke up with.
But the world is not a place for first drafts. 
It wants the published, polished thing.

[Outro]
One last look.
She’ll do.
The gentlest lies… 
are the ones you mean.