A Mask

I wear a Mask. You would not know unless you look close.

This Mask looks just like me. It can talk and smile and even laugh.

But this is not the real me. I exist far below the Mask. Where pain and sorrow

are my constant companions. Where living, just breathing, is a daily struggle.

You would never see the real me, unless you look into my eyes. I can’t hide

my eyes with the Mask, they are the window to my soul and the pain that exists there.

So don’t look too close. Let me hide behind my mask. Let me pretend it’s okay.

Because today I am pretending, but maybe some day, years from now, I can remove the mask. and stop pretending. Maybe one day, far in the future, my smile may be real again.

For Colton James, For C.J., for Ceej, I will constantly strive for that day.