"Misconceptions" (a poem of mine)

This can be found on pages 81-82 of my book, "Seasons Come, People Grow: A Poetic Journey".

A smile as warm as the sun on a hot summer day,
A heart as cold as the serial killer who takes others' lives,
The American home with the white picket fence, seemingly perfect,
Until you walk inside and know not all is right,

The rich and the beautiful,
The satisfied and the happy,
The lucky and the fortunate,
The desperate and the lonely,

The content bum lying on the streets,
The celebrity in solitude looking for somebody,
The musician waiting for the drug to keep him going,
The passionate hard-working minorities living in poverty,

We think that we're wise,,
But only to the fool,
By wearing a disguise,
And never allowing another to see the real you,

Misconceptions are made in large quantities,
Because we hide who we really are,
Our senses lie to us aplenty,
To give off an artificially perfect image to others.