We wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.
Why should the world be over-wise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.
We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!
(Dunbar, 1896)
Why do we waste so much energy in concealing how we really feel? Hiding what we think for fear of hurting someone else's feelings that they have concealed from us. Wouldn't things be so much simpler if we all just took off our masks and stripped off our ball gowns, walked away from the masquerade. Instead were left standing in front of each other - naked, broken, honest. I hide my scars because I hate to see the pain in their eyes when they see the pain in my soul. Why do we all pretend to be so together, to have it sorted, when we are all so broken inside? Or is it just me? Only my body that's marked with the hatred of my soul; only my heart that longs so much to love; only my head that tells me I'm fat, ugly, and worthless; only my hands that shake with longing; only my eyes that search for a beacon in this chaos. I need this pain to be shared. I need to know it's not just mine. It's too large a responsibility for just one back to be broken under.
I wish I could walk into my laptop and come give you a hug.
ReplyDeleteI know we all put on masks. That's why I am so disillusioned with the world I live in...then again, I myself put on masks 24/7, because I know the real me hurts everyone I love.
Blogspot is the only place that reveals the real me (ironic how I don't show my actual identity here though...)
XOXXX
ive tried to slowly put down my mask, but ive learned to like it. my secrets are mine and mine alone. and its nice to have.
ReplyDeletei hope you feel a bit bettter though.
stay lovely, dear. <3
thats life... the more we go through and the more we experience the thicker our masks grow, the more hurting it is to try take it off. your pain is not yours alone and the reason it hurts those who see it is because they feel it too.
ReplyDeletei'm the same way. however i can take my mask of here and i think that's the only thing keeping me sane. everytime i leave the house i wonder what all the people surrounding me are going through, what they're hiding, could they relate to what's going on inside me.
ReplyDeleteWe try and fight the idea that people all think the same. We are all only the same in every way sometimes not all the time in everything we think and do together or apart we can only try to keep our minds open keep doing things we love for others and most of all realize that to do things for ourselves is as important as doing things for others. If one is neglected some body still suffers and we as all, important as each others.
ReplyDeleteOh, love.
ReplyDelete<3
i love pictures with giant sweaters as well!... one day...
ReplyDelete<3