Remove the mask
and away falls the fear,
the doubt, the shame
of not being “acceptable,”
of not living beyond expectation
and custom.
Shadow and pain fade to ash.
And revealed is
authenticity, validation, color, and light;
self is shining, and it is free.
But, only in solitude –
For in society,
liberty is frowned upon;
We’re to pursue it, not possess it…
And so the mask is replaced,
self again contained.
Society smiles
and the mask does too –
but beyond it
self feels an insecure impostor.
Kayfucius 