A facade is a mask that we all wear

Who knows if we never see another's face

But in the end the thing that I always fear

Is that I forget myself and the mask will take my place

 

In performing I have learned that being myself

Isn't always about being me

People won't believe the truth I keep in my shell

They see what I know they want to see

 

The audience makes the persona on the stage

The human behind the character is one that is not seen

It is not that the actor is shy or afraid

The hiding of self is the way acting's always been

 

So the face I present is a fluid presence

While the person within might be static

It's hard to hold on to my own moral sense

When the mask contorts to avoid panic

 

A good attitude is not a constant resource

And the leader in me must be summoned

When faced with a rough crowd I have to be coarse

But inside the shell a heart is thrumming

 

It depends on the place, time, and on the context

And, in truth, my thickest mask is that of respect

I have to trust myself that my act will not wreck

My real identity more than I expect