Masks

Hide your face.

We do not wish to see you.

Your problems are inconsequential.

Wear your mask.

Pretend that you are someone else.

Say that everything is all right.

Do not look so grim when you see the world.

For you can do nothing about it.

You are only one person.

Wear your mask.

Put on a false smile.

And join everyone else who cries inside.

Masks are meant for make-believe.

And that is what they are used for.

They hide the scars, the shames, and the sorrows.

Eventually, the hurts are lost.

They fade into the past, forgotten.

And so do those who wear the masks.

For if a mask is worn long enough,

It replaces the face.

It becomes your very essence,

And you rely on the mask with everything you have.

For if you take it off, the false life ceases to exist,

And therefore, so do you.