It’s a porcelain disguise

this mask of mine,

its lustrous face reflecting

what people accept

what others want to see.

The ceramic mouth only lets me utter

lies and deceit.

Each lie this glimmering horror reflects,

a small crack embeds itself

creating hundreds of web like structures.

I desperately want to shed this-this

nightmare, but

it has been my safety net

always comforting me outside my home.

My home is the only place I can

remove this guise, where I am

comfortable enough

to be me.

But I have been consumed with all

of these lies.

That now the web permeates deeper

than the porcelaine.

Embedding

itself slowly within my flesh,

so that when I

shed the mask I start to barely recognize myself.

The black tendrils removing the pink glow

from my face and neck,

replacing it with

sallow grey.

Finally I see that the society I live in

is poisoning me.

I finally accept myself, my values, my ideas.

I realize that the light that is within me

has been dimmed to let the fear and societies beliefs

consume my own, bringing the light to a harsh flicker, clinging to

life, but I feel it now.

My light is outgrowing the fear, breaking the mold

society has in store for all those that fall in,

my light burning away this shell that has

encased me, imprisoned my heart.

The mask I hear it crackling

and smoldering. The once colorful,

opalescent mask, now chipping away

revealing the incandescence of my soul,

illuminating my skin.

I glance at the mask, slowly becoming

evanescent. I gaze at my new self,

the mirror reflecting back

the true me. Soft pink light warming

my skin. The harsh black sallowness

that took over is now fading away, flaking

off like pieces of ash. I can now

be proud to be

me.