Sunday, November 24, 2013

Masks


People don’t know you
Do you expect any more?
You aren’t sure who you are
Can’t say what you’re for 

People don’t know you
Can you presume that they should?
You wear different faces
Then say you’re misunderstood 

Masks. Arranged inside of your head
            Chosen at random.  Hanging by a thread
Smiling and grinning, frowning or blue
Each day you decide which mask will be You

People don’t know you
Do you bother or care?
You feign passing interest
While holed up in your lair

People don’t know you
Should there be any doubt?
You change with the weather
On and off like a spout 

Masks. Arranged inside of your head
            Chosen at random.  Hanging by a thread
Smiling and grinning, frowning or blue
Each day you decide which mask will be You

People don’t know you
And soon they won’t try
You put up your fence
And then wonder why 

People don’t know you
It will continue this way
You can’t shut out the world
Then beg it to stay


10 comments:

  1. A terrific poem Karie. You've touched on a lot of interesting themes regarding identity. I love how you tell the reader that it is there choice therefore there responsibility for the outcome of their decision to hide or masquerade. Fantastic job Karie, thanks for sharing :)

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    1. Thank you Ben :) You know that this is a very uplifting poem, for me. You're the best!

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  2. Masks, everywhere. It's hard to deal with it, on both sides. Great poem, Karie! :-D

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    1. Thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment. I'm glad you enjoyed. :)

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  3. So relevant! I think we all do this. Sometimes we call it wearing different hats. "Put on your manager hat." But you have it. The masks are so much more important.

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    1. Very true. We all do this to one degree or another. We have to be sure to try and remain true to ourselves and not lose sight of who we actually are. Thank you very much for reading and commenting! It's truly appreciated :)

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  4. Yes, sometime it gets confusing having so many masks I forget myself who is under them all

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  5. It's hard for me to relate to this. People say "be yourself" well, who else would I be? I don't understand how to not be me. Of course I'm lucky because I'm wonderful and I would choose to be me if I had a choice.

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