Two masks,
Safety in numbers,
One a closed-in clown,
Another a screaming shadow,
Both pieces of a puzzle,
Two numbers of the unbreakable code that hides what’s within,

My soul contains some soul,
Composer of words, not notes,
A songbird, a mute canary
Yearning to sing a beautiful song,
Lacking the voice to perform that opera,

My eyes contain a storm,
They hold back a tempest,
Persistent, unyielding,
Quick-witted, tongue of steel,
A feral cat with sharp nails and teeth,
Ready to pounce,

A ray of light,
Kind, sweet and helpful,
Voice soft as a lily,
Fragile doe eyes,
Young, bright, quiet,
Teacher’s pet and a wearer of two shoes,

A clown,
A performer ready to crack any joke,
Hyper hyena, always laughing,
Nothing’s more funny than life’s infinite store of irony,
Observant hunter,
Always ready to take a punchline,

A paradoxical shadow,
Cold fear coats my insides in ice,
Fiery spirit, full of life’s joy, rage, pain, anger and love,
A hurricane nearing shore,
A volcano about to erupt,
A time-bomb ready to blow,

Two worlds collide,
Dauntless and cowardly,
Hopeful and angry,
Blithe and despairing,
Strong and delicate,
That’s my identity.