This is a poem I wrote in 1996…

Behind the Masquerade

Life is a party,
A masquerade.
Each day you choose a different mask
And you know who you are,
For a while.
You drift in, drift out,
Dancing around people,
Never staying for the final waltz.
Never remaining to remove your mask—
You can get hurt that way.
But lately...
The party is a bore,
All the masks are the same.
They serve their purpose,
Too well.
People see no more than a mask,
Not even a face in the crowd.
You cannot hide behind
Masks that are hiding you.
They are like drugs,
Slowly destroying identity.
You stop to wonder,
Is there really a face behind the mask?
Have you become what others see?
Like drugs they make you weak,
Removing the will to fight,
The strength to be yourself.
Nobody truly knows you,
Truly.
They cannot feel your hurt,
They do not know your pain.
They only see a silhouette,
A shadow.
Why leave the masks behind?
They are comfortable;
Comfortable enough.
Do you give up hope?

Life is not a party,
The guests have all gone home.
Life remains,
I remain.
Masks removed I see your heart,
It is quite different from the masks.
No frills, no catch,
No lies.
You do not see the beauty I know,
The beauty your masks have hidden,
The beauty I love.
Look more closely,
Forget the masks.
Find yourself and love the person you find.
Find the truth that is
Behind the masquerade.

©  Lloyd McLean (1996)