Spalling Veneer

[Verse 1]
The fluorescent hum on the Formica counter, Tuesday at nine-oh-three.
He sees her knuckles, white on the binder, holding a dignity
That the air in here just leaches out, the smell of wet wool and doubt.
Her spine a steel stud, plumb and true, while the whole damn room is skewed.

[Chorus]
And the polite smile is spalling veneer,
A hairline fracture of unspoken fear.
There's a quiet rage, load-bearing and clear,
When the whole damn structure is rotten here.

[Verse 2]
The clerk keeps his eyes on a buzzing screen, a pixelated decree.
He says, "Ma'am, the paperwork's incomplete," like it's a law of gravity.
Her jaw is a bolt, torqued down tight, she won't give him the fight.
Just a steady gaze, a fault line held, a story that won't be yelled.

[Chorus]
And the polite smile is spalling veneer,
A hairline fracture of unspoken fear.
There's a quiet rage, load-bearing and clear,
When the whole damn structure is rotten here.

[Bridge]
Every joist in this place is groaning low,
She’s a cantilever in the winter snow.
She holds the line, she holds the weight,
Before the give, before the break.

[Outro]
The polite smile is spalling veneer.
The whole damn structure is rotten here.