The Mask:
I wear it
every single day.
It provides safety
from unknowns
which I do not
want to know more about.
I wear it
to help ease
the anxiety,
but it seems
to only make it intensify.
It gives peace of mind
as I operate
closer to how others do.
What the Mask fails at
is those moments of ambiguity
where I don't know
what's coming next.
How was that sentence
perceived?
What are they
thinking?
What the hell am I
doing?
I seem to find
those edge cases
others forgot to mention.
I take the Mask off
as soon as my feet
land on my property.
The dread eases
as I breathe with relief
in and out.
Few people
know the real me
because there is no "me."
I merely mirror
those I see.
Sometimes, I can fool them
and other times
it's painfully obvious
I am different.
The Mask has drawbacks
as I grapple
trying to find my identity
in a photo album
filled with other people's faces
painted onto mine.
