Member-only story
Hiding in Plain Sight
A Poem
i wear the mask every day
and no one would know it’s me
because i’m a stranger in my skin
i take on the smile again,
just to please the crowd a bit more
even though it kills me inside to do it
i close my eyes and say a prayer
for a god i don’t believe in anymore
because he’s let me down one too many times
i say the words to get through,
lies spilling between gritted teeth,
because no one knows me here anyway
and i’m hoping for a better future
even as my brothers and sisters kill the earth
i take off the mask every night
and wonder who i’ll be tomorrow
because it’s always a guessing game
i remove the smile again,
like it’s a bloody smear of lipstick,
and suddenly i feel alive again without it
i open my eyes and make a vow
because i see god in the man i love
even if he’ll never be the thing that saves me
