the cost of pretense

You polish the mask 

until it blinds you.

The mirror smiles back, 

but no one else does.

Honest hands 

slip away from your grasp, 

tired of holding 

what isn’t there.

The joke you rehearsed 

falls flat in the silence.

And when the lights go out, 

you pay the price alone- 

a face unrecognizable, 

a name no longer yours.

.

Reviews

[Lorry]

If it weren't for those masks, life would be a constant nightmare, as we walked about asking who people we don't recognise but act like they know us are.
We've all heard the phrase since childhood that it's easier just to be yourself, but then we grow up and people start treating us like we aren't the centre of the universe! It might be easier to be yourself, but it's way smarter to pretend you're someone else! 😀

[redd Brick Keshner]

Oh yes! Totally agree there, Lorry. Even online some would mouth off like they knew us only to back paddle later on, foot in mouth. That last bit is enjoyable- about never being the centre of the universe. Pretend is an excellent game and poetry does offer quite a bit of that, a sort of fictionalised self! Thanks ever so much🕊️🙏