There is a side of me that no one sees.

Hidden and wrapped by an intricately drawn mask,

Like a butterfly’s cocoon,

To prevent anyone from catching a glimpse.

There is a part of me that is still a child,

There is a part of me that is growing old,

Within me there is one who foresees the future,

Within me there is one who dreams of the past,

Deeper within me there is a part that is like the light,

Deeper within me there is a part that is like the dark,

They are buried deep within my soul.

So, you see my darling, that’s the reason for the mask,

Because if it were to come off, what would they see?

One face of a coin? One side of a veil that separates two worlds?

Or perhaps more like Janus, only good or only evil?

But is there not more to us than only one or the other?

Aren’t there two or more sides to people? Like there are the faces of the deities in mythology?

We all have this mask to hide what’s really inside us.

We all do this because we are afraid that if people could see the real us with their own eyes

That they would reject and cast us aside because the creature within is horrendous.

You may think this concept is preposterous, but my dear, it is the truth.

Everyone has some aspect of themselves they wish to hide or lock away in a secret place.

This place has been described as many things;

 A curtain, a mask, an inner veil, and even a locked chest

With a key nowhere to be found or lost in an abyss.   

We say we love people for who they are,

In order to do that, this mask, curtain, or other guise must be removed

For you cannot really love someone when their true selves are stashed away behind smoke, mirrors, and illusions.

Call it what you like, in the end, we all want to be accepted for the person within.

We’re just too afraid to let it show.