***
Here lies the tale of four broken souls
Forced to conceal their spirit by day
Lonely sunsets proved firm absolution
That life just could not go their way
Here lies the tale of four beautiful minds
That world never had the pleasure to see
Those joyous heartaches were belittled daily
To no more than foolish fantasy
And so these four chose to dawn the mask
To themselves and to others they lied
All chose to conceal, force a smile, each day
As chars of hope burned to dust from inside
***
She chances a glance in the mirror
And expresses disgust at what she first sees
She’ll never be the next CoverGirl
She says this face is “just not made for TV”
So she wrestles out her blush and brushes
Determined to paint a brand new face
For the status quo says you’re not good enough
If each feature is not up to pace
Despite the mask that she dawns each night
The pain cannot be blinked away
Violet-rimmed eyes shimmer with brash truth
Her heart fears that all hope’s gone a stray
***
He dawns the mask come Friday night
As he takes on center stage
The crowds will roar, the trumpets blast
As he recites sonnets that speak without age
The actor will take a strong bow
Before the curtains sashay to end the show
He wants to believe they love him
But his heart proves too nervous to know
Despite the mask that he dawns each night
The pain cannot be blinked away
Hazel eyes shimmer with brash truth
His heart fears that all hope’s gone a stray
***
She skips across the playroom
Fairy dust covers the lids of her eyes
For she yearns to be adopted
By the perspective passerby’s
She knows the small kids get picked first
So she musters up a smile
For if she puts on an angelic face
A new mom may take her in for a while
Despite the mask that he dawns each night
The pain cannot be blinked away
Baby blue eyes shimmer with brash truth
Her heart fears that all hope’s gone a stray
***
He cautiously dawns the mask and gown
As he fiddles with that old wedding band
His feet scoot cross the hospital floor
Until he can grasp his dear Ruth’s hand
Underneath the large blue garments
His top lip quivers with unparalleled fear
But he composes himself and his Superman voice
Saying, “Ruth do not worry, I’m here”
Despite the mask that he dawns each night
The pain cannot be blinked away
Big brown eyes shimmer with brash truth
His heart fears that all hope’s gone a stray
***
These four and many, many others
Roam through life any given day
Yearning for the roar of a perfect storm
But settling to bury our woes deep away
Look your fellow man in the eye
Do not shy from the broken one’s gaze
For we all yearn to be ceaselessly loved
In a blind, outright mad sort of way
Unveil truth by unmasking lies
Every soul may bare a beast of burden
But every heart has the power to rise
