"Eternal Masquerade"
                             by Robert Brown

What mask shall I wear today?
What image shall I project
To everyone I meet?
What emotion shall I hide
To protect those I love?
How much more can I endure
To continue this
Eternal Masquerade?

Shall I wear the happy mask
And keep my sadness hidden?
Or the serene one
To keep my agitations to myself?
Perhaps the blank one will suffice
To keep the hurt from prying eyes?
With so many masks
I wonder if the world will ever find me

But there are those who
Have discovered my secret
Who know about my masks
And why I wear them
They want me to remove them
Want to see the real me
But I do not believe
That they will ever see the real me

Only when I am alone
With just myself for company
Can I remove my masks
But I must be careful
For there is something
No one knows
Even those that recognize the 
Masks I wear

Each mask is barbed
Tiny hooks that sink into
My face and rip out my skin 
When I try to remove them
Further disfiguring the visage
Beneath their protective shell
Until not even I can recognize
Who I truly am