Picture Perfect

Mother's putting on her favorite lipstick. Father's fixing his new shirt and pulling up his tie. My older brother's flaunting his ray ban glasses and my big sis is piling up pretty bracelets on her wrist.
The photographer gets his camera ready and motions everyone to get in place.
I'm sitting between my mom and dad on the couch and my brother and sister sit on it's arms at the side.
He turns the bright lights on and looks at us and says "You're such a cute family. You guys look perfect."
But only I know what's really going in this picture. And let me just say, it's far from perfect.

My mother was putting on her lipstick only to hide her dry, dark lips. Darkened from smoking too much weed.
My dad was pulling up his collar and fixing his tie to hide a few hickeys. The marks of his infidelity and deceit.
My brother was only wearing his shades to hide his dark circles that came from all those nights he spent crying himself to sleep.
My sister was stacking up bracelets to hide the scars on her wrist. An outcome of all the pain and emotions she tried to defeat.

Only I know what's really going on this picture.
And memories like this will only fade and flicker.
"Smile please!" he says and with our fake smiles, we beamed.
But not every picture, is as perfect as it seems.