Heather has a Bachelor's Degree in English from Moravian College and has been freelance writing for more than 12 years.

Life up a perpetually slippery slope

Harder to get to the top when you're always slipping

One step forward, three steps backward

Felt nothing but disappointment and stress

Can still smile mildly, but doesn't seem natural

Putting on an act for friends and family instead of living

Every true emotion chipped away by the ice pick

Used by Catherine Trammell in Basic Instinct

When she hunted her prey and inched in for the kill

After early Oscar buzz for my debut performance

Praise evaporated for the follow up film

Acting considered stiff and stilted by some critics

Emotionless and almost lifeless by the rest

Wondered if it was time to give up being a human being

And just accept life as a flesh and blood robot

Going through the continuous motions of daily life

Without a smile being rung up on the cash register

Paychecks never staying too long in the bank

Bosses coming and going out the door at work

All without an obvious clue of what you seem to do

Day in and day out in the corporate windmill

Wondered if you would find someone who understood you

Your family only had one component of you pegged

Your coworkers had another part; but too slammed with work

To notice if you existed or were just a figment of their imagination

Only your better half seemed to get the full picture of your identity

And they didn't head for the hills; a miracle in itself

They're so kind and loving that you don't want to make a mistake

Disappointing them a great fear to be had on a daily basis

Seemed to be always understanding with everything

Even your privately perceived flaws and failings

Almost appeared to be too good to be true

No one was that accepting of you before

Why would they be now?

Decided it was time to embrace that fact and simply go from there.

Much easier that way than regularly analyzing everything anyway.