Masks
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I have my own little corner of the house
It isn’t much
It isn’t big
But it is mine
It is warm and cozy and comfortable
It helps me breathe.
I wear my mask not for me, but for you
For your children
For your parents and grandparents
With their cancer, heart disease, and asthma
I fear for their lives
The sickness is brutal
Where is your mask? I asked.
“There’s no supply,” was the reply.
Then take any old cloth and make a mask,
Fold and mold a cover and start acting sober!”!
To the one that over my shoulder hovered,
Give me a secondJust one secondI need a way out I need a place to breatheI need a place to think
breathethat's what they tell youbreathewake up andbreathe get dressed andbreathebrush your teeth andbreatheput that mask on andbreathepretend you want to be out of bed and
Because you love me you sat up all night
Despite having work the next morning, early
So I could cry over nothing
Because my anxiety told me “Warning: OVERWHELMED”
Strange isn't it?
The way we act so different behind closed doors when no one is looking.
We can become our true selves, let our colors fly
But why only when no one else is looking?
Who are you?
Who am I?
Does anyone really know?
Who are you to tell me what I should say or what I should show?
Hats and caps, leather bats
Which one doesn’t belong?
See it’s easy. One could easily say it’s squeezy
Yeeeah… That’s weird. But how about this?
Personas Masks & Facades, surrounded by multitudes, existing in solitude, animated elation & seemingly greener sides a mere mirage!
Pastel masks of perfection
designed to improve
our disturbing reflection.
Made too thick to look past,
it's such a necessity for some
the marks will last.
It morphs into our skin,
I speak of the masks I hide behind.
It's not just me--
it's everyone.
It's anyone who wants to be accepted
for once in his or her life.
I speak of the boy who came home crying
Picture painting on a smile
Beautiful brushstrokes create compelling art
But it hasn't been real in a while
So the artistry begins to fall apart
Welcome to the Illness
It kills this realness
Make yourself up
No one knows who you really are except you,
so no one can say you're lying.
Except you.
I literally cannot even right now
It's pretty srs
I have mental hellth problems
But at least I got my yoga pants
It's like I TOTally look so indie rn
But my heart stopped beating
A baby, not even a moment oldIts story is unwritten, clean, untoldGrows into a child, encouraged to fulfill his dreamsJust be sure to fit within society’s scheme
You stagger through the door, belligerent and blind.
Anger that only spirits could invoke - menacing - gleering through your eyes.
We’re all on that rocking boat,
Rockin’ restlessly through high tides,
a conveyor belt that empties the
dreadful soul with no other way.
I can’t see farther ‘cause my vision’s too blurry.
They say, "keep your friends close
But your enemies closer."
I ask, then, how do you know?
Who is your friend
And who is your foe?
One moment it's sunshine
And happiness and laughter.
I'm growing up in a world where it's not cool to be cool
Where it's hip to be hipster, an ever-changing rule
Every day I come to school with a bag full of masks,
Filters.
Change your
Look, change your
Style. See everything through a
Pretty Veil.
Filters.
Watch what you say,
I was born with the sun in my teeth and hair
with mercury pouring out of my fingers and toes
Unburdened with the notion of needing to be anything
at recess I practiced the sprinkler
so I could be everywhere at once
Filters.
Change your
Look, change your
Style. See everything through a
Pretty Veil.
Filters.
Watch what you say,
Watch what you do.
Filter it all to fit
The Room,
What is it like to be me?
She asks
Envy lining her words.
She's talking about the test
That I aced
The quiz
I defeated
The teacher
Who loves me.
I laugh and smile and joke at her
Left broken,
Shattered,
Alone.
My innocence;
Ruined,
From the taint Of society.
No one understands
My pain.
It lies beneath the
Surface
Of my ever so
Happiness
They say the happiest person is often the saddest,
They are the one with the most pain inside
Masks
Everyone has one.
As children they are blank – wide eyed and wondering,
If there's one phrase that's hard to say,
If there's something we don't want to think about each passing day
If there's something that would make some of us want to cry,
I begin to sign...
~~~
When we were younger,
All we wanted to do was play.
But then we grew.
And we wanted--
To Fit--
scream soft
smile bright
blind yourself with loving light
bask and sway for one more day
to hold the scream in tight
blooming flowers
choking weeds
blind the world with loving deeds
Layer upon layer of masks.
One small, one red, one plagued with faux happiness.
A mask of royal purple.
A mask as silver as starlight.
The streets are crowded with personalities, each one unique as a gem.
Filters are like masks.
We use them to hide.
We pick them to accent certain qualities and hide the flaws we don't want them to see.
She doesnt know she poor, Even when life tells her in many ways Her refrigerator becomes empty. Whenever she is hungry she can't even find a whole meal. Her family barley has enough food to last them until they can get more.
Every morning we wake up and turn to our night stands
We see a mask lying there and put it on
Maybe it's a different one, maybe it's the same but either way
We put on our masks and say "Masked, I advance"
Behind all the filters,
my pictures hold natural beauty.
Behind the makeup and touch-ups,
I have freckles that engulf my face.
Behind the smiles,
I hold back years worth of overcome struggles
I was the girl that grew up in hard brick matter.
At 3 years old my pearls were stolen then shattered.
Beaten,broken and tossed to floor.
And all I could can do is plead "PLEASE NO MORE!!!"
Take one look
I know what you’ll think
It’s the exact thing that I program every mind to see
Positivity, fearlessness, self-confidence, artistic
It’s the bravado I wear
The mask that conceals
I wake up every morning standing in front of a mirror,
I take on the habit of wasting time on adding a mask that only seems to be acceptable to society.
Sadness is dark like a dark winter's night
Sadness taste like salty tears falling down your face
Sadness smells like dead rose
Sadness looks like glass being broken
Sadness sounds like your last breath
No rhythm
No rhyme
Just me
And myself
Dark hands
Bright face
WIth a dim glow in the eyes
Worn out
By the challenge
Of living each day with a smile
Inside
the girl they see
quiet,
shy,
sweet,
strong,
the girl I am.
loud,
outgoing,
smart,
deep,
I am both girls unfiltered.
and im completely happy,
Without a filter I'm just a kid,
Without a father and a mother in prison,
I've seen some things that you'll never see,
Things that make small children scream,
But what you can never see,
Cold, dark and miserable
Was told it was part of being a criminal
But why title me that?
It's not like you know all the facts
True I don't know how to act
But at least I stay true to my colors
I am a perfect puzzle. A miserable mish-mash of jagged jigsaw edges that never seem to match up. An array of sudden splashed colors that do not make sense.Unless you painstakingly,
Its a feeling not a knowing.
Curiosity and randomness lead me to you.
I feel so blue.
We are so clueless.
Where to begin and where to end.
Yes I have imperfections
And not the sweetest complexion
Yet I try to look at those and say
“I have been given blessings”
Wishing upon peace,
hoping no one sees me,
Taking a deep breath,
hoping no one hears me,
Walking through school campus vastly,
having fear of being stopped,
Smiling, but speaking no words,
Looking at my face
You'd never know
In my life
A war grows
On the outside
I`m filled with life
On the inside
I`m dying
Not from sorrow
Not from strife
Literally I fight
You saw me as your porcelain doll
your darling girl
Your perfection
but There was an immaculate exception
you thought i was your faithful pet
the dog who'd
"she'd be back"
Every aspect of my life has
Always been a splintered crack
between myself and who I wanted to portray.
It wasn't my fault.
I just wasn't good enough.
I was not satisfied with who I was,
I have two faces but I only show one
No one knows my true face, none
All you can see is my mask
Nobody even cares to ask
Who cares?
My real face shows my trepidation
I was handed a mask at a very young age.
Society offered, and like the rest I took the bait.
“Conceal
Don’t feel
Don’t let it show
Don’t let them know”
Quoted from the movie “Frozen”
And none sadder but truer words have never been spoken
See we all hide behinds our curtains and masks of sorts
Juniper eyesKalediscopesCold.Bitter.Resting faceSeperated mind from bodyagaintyping rants of equality outcry"Bitch"Like bee-sting.Hurts for a second, Stays throbbing
No one sees me because I'm scared. There is hardly anything more pleasant than being like those joyfull people. This isn't me, I want to do without restraint. Its been so long since that has happened. I do it for others since they did it for me.
I have always found safety in "putting on a mask",
hiding myself I avoided vulnerable exposure.
Every once and a while I'd find that mask had become stuck.
Glued to my face and personality, and I would question who I was.
Behind the hazel, she's just a lonely little one. Behind the hazel, she wants to the world to be gone. Behind the hazel, she's fighting everyday. Behind the hazel, she's scared in every way. Behind the hazel, she's slightly shattered.
Tears, streaming down my face
Insecurities, flooding my mind
The clock is counting down; Life's a race
Of the confidence we're trying to find.
I show you a happy smile; an open embrace
“Free me”, she screams in his face.“No more.No more a moore.I am a river.I flow.I live and give
My mask? you ask
is made of smiles
of laughter
of pretending I don't miss you
well here's the truth:
i miss you everyday...
when i remember
how you laugh about everything...
when i want
I walk down halls of familiar faces every day
But are they really so familiar
Or are they like me
Hiding myself from the outer world
Afraid to show people
Show people that I am always unhappy
I hate these ballet shoes
Everyday marks another bruise
And as I dance with the pain, my brain is in flames, going insane
Working double time over what should be considered a war-crime
pay all attention
to the girl up on the stage
all part of the show
imagination engaged
Captivated by her beauty, the beast overcomes me.The beast i cannot tame. The beast that tells me who i am. And who i want to be.I see the way you look at her.The way she looks at you.
Pay no attention to that girl behind the curtain. She only comes out when she's all alone. The mask is only taken off when she is by herself.
I'm afraid someone will see me at my darkest
When no light shine through the clouds
So I put on a smile and continue to breath
Deeply.
I want to shield you from the cloud and the rain
Because
I'm a broken glass behind the scenesI am an entire home in shamblesI'm only so sturdyThese shelves can only hold a heartAbsolutely nothing else
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,
I've always been afraid to take this mask off of my face.
Afraid that no one will like me and I'll never find my place.
Within these brick school walls I hear them laughing and pointing at me.
10
9
8
You count down,
It's almost time.
7
6
5
The tears they fall,
No going back now.
4
When people see me they see
A beautiful, black woman
They have no idea what my story is
They don't know the pain in my smile
They don't know the tiredness in my eyes
They just see what I allow them to see
Life is an enigma,
That can’t be understood,
Too many pieces lost in time,
Like puzzle pieces scattered in the air,
Emotions running high,
The tears begin to fall,
"She's obviously vapid because
she's going into fashion and likes
makeup!" Is what everyone seems
to think when they meet me.
Hell, I even played a
teacher with this bit.
Yes, I am a girl.
Reality fades away,
and once again I'm trapped in my mind.
I'm left with my thoughts,
that scare me with all their doubts.
Behind the curtain
What I keep hidden
From your eyes and mind
Is strictly forbidden
Under the mask
What a clever disguise
Are you ready to see what hides behind the curtain? Can you handle something so uncertain? All you can hear is laughter from her lips, and see a shadow moving her hips. Are you ready to pull the curtain? Are you ready for the uncertain?
Hi, My name is Abriana, and I'm addicted to him. He is like my drug, never good for me but still good enough to silence the pain.
This girl is always smiling, filling our hearts with love. But no one knows the truth.. what it's like when shes alone. Broken dreams, slashing screams. not what we call home.
"small lips", "big nose", "pale face",
"big eyes", "small thighs", "fat in the wrong place",
"awkward", "strange", "too shy",
but "dont let them get to you", "dont you cry"
smile, smile, smile.
Let us linger here a while in the foolishness of things. Let the wind and the rain cleanse all our sorrow and shame.
Surrounded by laughs and smilesWhile I just listenOnly my ears are openSealed lips shutWords can't be spokenI understandThis is who I amI say what they want to hear
I scream and shout
You hear me from across the room
I'm a bright prescence even when you want nothing to do but get away
Always laughing
Wearing a constant grin
Doing my best to pull out a smile or a chuckle
Who is the real me? Am I the person who people look to for a good laugh when they’re feeling down?Am I the person who is there for my friends and family in their times of need?
I changed my look
I changed my hair.
I changed for friends who won't be there.
I changed my smile
I changed my clothes
I thought my change would be worthwhile
I was misguided. My demons would taunt me. Convince me to wander on countless occasions. I'd roam around until they'd finally attack. They always did and always do, as soon as they see their chance. They feed on any sign of weakness.
"She is far too naive. She converses too
often with the sky, and eventually,
she will crumble."
I am shaking the terror off my skin
and I am digging up the words that have
Unmask Me
Unmask me.
Unmask who I am.
Unmask who I was and will be.
Who I never was;
Who I wish I was;
Who others think I am;
Who I think I am;
My eyes tell a much different story than my heart
In fact, I was never really me from the start
I'm not free to show people who I really am
But when it comes to what they think about me I don't give a damn
Sometimes
I am the clown
Making people laugh
with quirks, with jokes, with funny faces
Sarcastic quips flow from me like rain falls from angry thunderclouds
Other times, I am the mouse
Hiding
To be frank, this isn't much of a poem.
More like a life story.
No, more than a life story; try a salvation.
Behind a mask I hide
Hidden from sight
A bright smile that lights up the night.
I try to keep quiet
As I scream behind gritted teeth
And know that my struggles are far
From over
It is a choice.
Those four words have the force, of a thousand.
A thousand words of anger, a thousand words of hate,
Misunderstood, misinformed, is a mind that's in that state.
Take them off!
Take them off!
Show us who you really are!
Let us see
Thy true face
Thy true fears
And thy true hates
There's a nod from a performer
A smirk from a magician
Your lips twitch, almost a smile
Before the mask slips into place
Stoic and as strange as before
Trying to so hard to be what they want
To be anything but yourself
But liitle things shine through
When you grow up believing
that nice is the way to go,
you forget that emotions,
and thoughts
That smart girl at the back of the room
Who is she?
"Just a two-dimentional nerd"
As if, I'm so weird I'm four-dimentional
"She is too busy studying to have a life"
Blistered ego, aching self,scared girl in lion's mane.Teeth bared, upturnedto keep sanity. I don't wantto inconvenience, I
The mask you ask, is it there?
Do I hide myself inside?
For me, I'm proud to say it's nowhere.
Though the mask, I mean's been tried.
I used to live behind that mask,
I knew it all too well.
Staring at the image of a reflection,
The glass shrouded in its entirety,
A personification of what must be.
Woke Up with my legs open
and my mind crossed.
"Boys sure do like me"
"boys like me"
"like me"
"me"
Boys like to suck me dry.
my being, my spirit, my soul;
'Be yourself.'
How?
I am so many different
People.
At the start of the day,
when the sun has not
fully awaken herself
Row upon row bekons to me
As I pass each one by I ask myself
Who will I be today?
The tired one who oozes laziness
The reluctant one who lacks self confidence
The smart aleck, the isolated one?
And the Mask comes Off
They walk past each other carelessly striding with false intentions
The warmth of the sun is missed, the peaceful sky
Facades, masks, disguises,
we live in a world filled with lies.
All the fibs we tell,
we are never truly ourselves.
Conformity,
the rules set by society,
Shapeless as the shadowthey creep,they lurch,they change,from the bright dayjoyous and gay,or the dim twilight,melancholy and grievous,to the black nightraging and grim.
We are aiming to please
Ourselves.
We are aiming to apease
Ourselves.
All we really do is tease
Ourselves
The standards we set for
High school days and high school plays
Are the same yes?
A mask is garnished and worn to a ten;
While underneath is you, entirely hidden.
There is a wall in my psychology class
It has a tackboard covered in masks
Above it are the words "What makes you who you are?"
I often stare at those student made facades
Wondering "What makes up my mask?"
The Masks We Wear
“Masks for sale! Masks for sale!”
The man of many masks did hail.
“Masks for parties, masks for tricks,
Masks of boars and masks of chicks.
And if too old for masks you feel,
Today I'll wear my happy mask, because I'm feeling sad
And I've worn out my tired mask, from the weeks that I've been mad
At my friend who wears his loving mask, when he looks at her,
Things are not what they seem,
Things are not what they appear
In a world where people judge you on something as simple as what you wear.
No things are what they appear
Things are not what they seem
they wear masks with unsettling cheshire grins
gleaming under the lights which betrays a plastic perfection
dressed as something they are not, it is no longer a sport
Don’t reveal I’m soft insideMake them believe I’m hard and dryIf I don’t venture to show myself.They will believe I’m something else.
Subconsciously I feel like I'm being wrapped in my own blanket, being protected by my own mind.
Something about the darkness of a room gives me chills, I love not knowing what's on the other side.
The mask I wear.
The whispered dreams at night.
The long scars and small tears.
The shadow hidden and out of sight.
What I am on the outside, middle, inside,
Which one is real, which do I hide?
Mask one, mask two,
I'll put them on for you.
Mask three, Mask four,
Its not me, but the masks whom you adore.
Mask five, mask six,
You only want the silent smile, the easy fix,
The mask I wear, that shimmers in silver,
Has saved my life a thousand times over.
The cold living metal that bits my cheeks
Has protected me from the cutting winds.
Bright blue paint laced the edges of my eyes,
When you see me you would think,
There goes a strong young man.
Never close to breaking him,
He feels as much as a tin can.
And if you asked me now,
this is what I'd tell.
I've never shed a tear
The stress of perfection showed upon my face as I gazed at my reflection, but I wasn't perfect. I had become a master of deception, writing lies in the book of life all to create a false perception.
I'm too young to have a stressed mind
If money wasn't real we would have less crime
Cause of banks we got bodies full of hollow clips
Put the money in the bag and run like a politic
Life ain’t soft I pray in the rough
I'm going through the motions
And I don't know why.
This whole feeling is atrocious
But I can't even hide.
I'm smiling in the physical
But crying all day.
Must be something spiritual
New faces bring new thunderstorms
The smell of fresh rain on pavement shows change in the air
The lightning flashes a bright sky for a split second
The moment rips away as thunder claps the same old darkness back
As the days go by, God continues to be my teacher...
displaying the strongest of challenges to my eye, like cheering fans on the bleachers...
They say i'm way too young
To find the man that is the one
If i dont find him i'm going to burst
That is why i put my God first
