BEHIND THE MASK

You think yourself so wise,

A master of manipulation,

Proud of your maneuvering,

Skilled in the art of deception.

Clothed in a charming costume,

Outside all beauty and light,

But scratch beneath the surface,

Inside, you are dark as night.

Believe you can control me,

Convinced I cannot see,

The “you” behind the mask,

The monster you’ve come to be.

But you are the one who’s deluded,

To think I do not know,

To kid yourself I am blinded,

To your fraudulent, insincere show.

For I am not easily swindled,

And my actions are still my own,

You may think I am bent to your will,

But my motives are mine alone.

You hide your true intentions,

But mine are plain to see,

No cover, no guise, no veneer,

I am simply me.

You must find yourself so horrid,

So unlovable, so unclean,

You’re afraid to unmask the real you,

The person yet unseen.

So, I do not despise you,

No, I feel but pity and sorrow,

That you must hide the horror,

That another’s face you must borrow.

I offer no condemnation,

No vengeance nor hate in my soul,

No, only a genuine intention,

A wish for you to be whole.

But the masquerade must end,

And the pretense must be dropped,

The window-dressing removed,

And the posturing must stop.

For only stripped and bared,

Broken open to the core,

Can a soul reveal its true self,

And hope to become far more.