Masks *Poem*

Many masks of different colors,

Hiding truth from sight,

To protect the ones they care about

and hide their Darkness from the Light.

A crooked smile to charm you,

Misdirection at its best,

To throw you off the scent

of the turmoil and unrest.

A laugh can disarm,

The most observant of their peers,

The focus is drawn to the joyous sound,

So no one sees the tears.

They’re screaming in the silence,

Beaten, bleeding, bound,

Their masks have become their prison,

With no solace to be found.

Pretty colors and little motions,

To appease the untrained eye,

To stop the flow of questions

“What’s wrong?” “How long?” and “Why?”

The masks they wear get heavy,

The bindings begin to strain,

The shadows stir and peak through

Its too much to hide the pain.

Can you imagine the energy,

These souls must expend,

To put on the happy masks

For their family and friends?

They go through the motions in the present,

Though they can’t seem to shake their pasts.

Better to lie and be left alone,

Than be handled like fragile glass.

Eventually though a balance is found,
The Darkness and Light as one,
And almost unexpectedly,
The masks become undone.