the gravity of the situation

Then the feeling turns misshapen inside
as if the axles broke,
wheels make
that metallic sound,
braced teeth gnash and grind,
scratches on a chalkboard,
at first a false exuberance
soon dissolving into self parody,
a cartoon played for scorn.
"Happiness" proves to be misery,
seeming triumph sand-blasts away,
the stone facade
laid bare to reveal
cheap stucco beneath.