The Familiar Mask
There’s this mask we wear
This mask only has one task in life
Oh, it does its job excellently
It holds on with every vigor in its makeup
This mask you see, won’t let go until
It gets burned with the fire of quitting or zeal
There’s that smile on her face
That all too familiar split she wears beautifully
Hello! she yells
over to the florist on her street
Her laughter resounds with the wind’s elegance
But no one knows about the stack of unpaid bills
That lace her apartment’s interior
There’s that walk of confidence he strides with
With his briefcase strapped diligently to his side
His every step moves with the rhythm of the town’s clock
The chimes and beeps of his devices
Are debt sharks creeping in to devour his days of freedom
But there’s that wink he sends to Jay the homeless neighbor
As he flops a quarter into his worn-out bucket hat
How joyous life would be
if only we could create a world
Where we can safely share our pain, joy, or loss
Alas, it could be the chisel
That scrapes this familiar mask off our faces for real
