the covert self

it's easy to judge others.
to say,
i wouldn't raise
my children that way,
or
i'm more polite, i'm better
at this or that
than they are. look at me,
how i dress,
and walk, how i talk.
i'm we'll read, i pray,
i give cans of food to the church.
i do so
much for others.
just a text message away.
i'm an empath with a heart
of gold,
but beneath it all,
there is darkness,
there is deception and lies.
in private
there is this double life
kept hidden.
the public image is one
of good, one of charm
and smiles,
while beneath the surface
the true self, the covert
life lives on and
thrives.