Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain, 

But I do, it is me

There is more than what meets the eye

I am not just a child, 

I am brave, I am scared

I am peaceful, I am hurt

I want to make you happy,

I want you to see the real me

Loving, selfless, giving, helpful

I am concerned and I care

I try to touch you with my kindness

I am called fake, she does not care

That is what they say

So I wear this mask every day

As I walk through these halls

By the windows in the gallery

I see the cuts on your writs, 

I want to tell you I care, 

I love you. You are loved

But I did not speak, 

I glided by, my heart pounding as I went

This is the mask others have forced me to wear

For fear, with fear

One day I will tear this mask off,

Layer by layer,

From the inside out

I see the bruises on your legs my darling

I want to tell you to leave him

You deserve better

But I did not, not yesterday. 

But today, I did. 

To the boy with the cuts,

I love you, it has been said

I see tears stream down his face

To the girl with the bruises, 

You deserve better, leave him

The tears again, and a warm embrace

I took off my mask for the first time today

I left half of it there, 

In the hallway beside the gallery windows, 

And now, I don this new accessory

A Semipermeable Mask