Mask

A reworking of "I am but a Charlatan"

I am, I fear, a mannequin

Plastic smirk upon my face

Posed and prepped, standing there

Never moving from my place

 

Simulacrum, homunculi

Miming human form

Outer mask unfailing

Though inside my heart is torn

 

As a marionette dangles

Upon his tightened strings

At another’s beck and call

At a whim I dance and sing

 

A puppet in a shadow box

Though it may seem real

It is really just a farce

Hiding how I feel

 

From a distance, perfect,

And my eyes, they shine-

Upon my cheeks

My tears are tracked

In a soft and silver line

 

I am but a charlatan

With gilded tongue and silver lies

Though I smile, grinning wide

No mirth does reach my eyes

 

To every one I spoke

Who though my tales were true

My biggest was to convince myself

That I was over you

 

Reviews

[Rita L. Sev]

WE move through our days, often wearing an expression of what we do not feel, pulled in directions in which we do not wish to go... a well crafted and thoughtful piece, CI.

[Emerald Seas]

Everyone wears masks to some degree. We wear them to achieve a level of success, guard from possible hurt or blame, and so many other reasons. The courage comes in being true to ourselves. Then it is much easier to live with oneself and others see the genuine person. It's so much easier to remove the masks...
A very thoughtful poem, well structured and has a smooth rhyme and flow. I enjoyed this - well done.

[Kaitlynn A. Black]

I can honestly say, I don't like marionette strings. Either being pulled by them or finding that someone has been just letting me dance them around because they were board and didn't have anything better to do at the time.
I think the last two lines made this piece for me. For that is the hardest part of it all, the conviencing of oneself that it's time to move on.

XO - Kate