A mask is heavy.

It weighs down against your soft skin,

scratches against the porcelain surface

leaving nothing but shadowed marks 

that protrude against a pale complexion.

A result of your absence from the sun. 

It clouds your vision, 

blurs the edges of pictures

that you will never fully understand.

You see partial images of people

staring at you

out of curiousity,

yet you feel the judgement in their eyes.

But imagine,

how satisfying might it be

to take off the mask

and allow others to see the beauty

that can only grow more beautiful,

to see a confidence,

a certainty, 

that proves what potential greatness you may have.

That silences all the judgement.

To allow others the example,

the inspiration,

the hope,

that they too can

do what you do,

like what you like,

and want what you want,

without feeling isolated to a plastic barrier. 

I never had the example of such,

but I can tell you this:

the mask will become more burdensome with time,

your vision more clouded than before,

and you will either bare it out of fear,

or you will have a sudden realization,

that life is oh so short,

you are oh so great,

the world is oh so vast,

and masks are oh so dreary

when you are seeking a life of 

passion,

exploration,

animation,

and exhilaration. 

And that moment when you allow yourself

the freedom to unmask,

as I propose you should,

you will experience a breath of life unlike any other.

A breath full of clarity,

of dreams,

of promise and satisfaction.

And the euphoria will consume you,

having you question why masks

were ever created in the first place.