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Masks
If I put on a mask,
can you see that I'm crying,
if I smile and wave,
can you see that I'm dying?
On the outside it looks like everything's fine
But on the inside I'm beginning to slowly unwind
This truth that I hold to,
the truth that I know,
it's fading so quickly,
but at the same time so slow.
People will question if I am alright
Then I tell them I'm fine,
I'll get through the night.
But there's this part of me that wonders
if something is wrong.
But I guess I'll pretend,
I'll just play along.
We use these fake faces,
these masks that distort
our true form, our identity,
it's become like a sport.
With winners, and losers,
with being the best,
with passing or failing
these difficult tests.
But if you do fail,
and you don't stay on track,
life will hit harder,
life will bite back.
But if you overcome this,
get better, get stronger,
maybe hold on
just a little bit longer.
If you put on that mask,
nobody has to know,
just smile, they tell you,
and go with the flow.

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I feel like so many teens like me have all sorts of baggage, the things they do while nobody's watching. The dark side of them nobody can see. It's almost like we have these fake masks and smiles, plastered on our faces, covering up the real us.