I used to wear a mask
And put it on whenever
My real self looked better hidden.
I had many different masks
All of which I kept in a box
In my room.
Before I went somewhere
I’d open the box
And pick the one that I wanted to be.
Then, safely hidden, I’d venture forth.
Why?
I have never been secure with my real face.
No, the nose is too big.
No, the chin is too clefted.
No, the face is too square.
No, the eyes are too uneven.
Who would look at that face
And like it?
It was easier to hide it.
And so I did.
But there was one problem,
The problem everyone faces
Who wears masks:
Inconsistency.
I never felt comfortable in any of them.
For I never wore the same one
And it never had time to fit my face.