Price of Translucence

This piece is dedicated to the struggle we have to shed our masks to the ones we deeply care about, but are afraid, knowingly or not, that they might despise what you truly are.

If it could be I would open this shell,

Set whatever that it holds free.

Unseen yet you condemn it may’ve been?

The tremble in my knees is for what did dwell,

 What is inside may not be pearls to you.

 

This pain inside is for the child,

Wishing to see what could it be.

I know what it is and ever will be is me.

The shiver in my hands is for you hadn’t smiled,

 To whatever I may become to you.

I’ve answered the call,

And paid up my price,

 Let this storm do its deed tonight.

 

Let it be for I want to see

Whatever’s to happen to me

Will you see me the same in spite?

 

Will you be dreaming of a passing still?

Tomorrow I’m set to lay to rest this bane.

Can I call to you when I am out again?

We can go on this journey again if you will,

 Let us find for you who it is I am.

 

I am ready today roll in the anchor,

See me for I will come off broken,

Dear just try seeing me as I awaken.

Let alone fallen masks today, I’m no actor,

 This sheet holds fleeting words no more.

I will call you out no more,

Stay, for this is who I will be,

Leave if what you see isn’t what you need.

 

I will not hold a grudge in my soul,

I hope you stay to the closest side of my heart,

You know it will not be I who pulls apart.

 

 Let it be for I want to see

Whatever’s to happen to me

Will you see me the same in spite?

Written By Roshan Nair

Copyright © 2015 Roshan Nair

Author's Note

Pardon any grammatical (unintentional)or rhyme (intentional) based liberties I've taken. Hope you guys enjoy it ! would love to hear your reviews

Reviews

[TheLostMind]

Beautiful and touching.

"Dear just try seeing me as I awaken.
Let alone fallen masks today, I’m no actor,
This sheet holds fleeting words no more.

I will call you out no more,
Stay, for this is who I will be,
Leave if what you see isn’t what you need." - Sad, yet true. The mask will have to come off some day. You cannot pretend to be someone else forever. You cannot live a lie.
People have to accept us no matter what flaws we have. We are what we are- a perfect version of ourselves. A really good write :)

[Roshan Nair]

Thank you for that gracious comment. I agree with you..drop your masks and you are truly alive
Cheers! :)

[Raja Anjana Kothapalli]

"Will you see me the same in spite?"

A question- fitting end for this lovely poem! Thanks for sharing, Roshan Nair!☺

- Anjana

[Roshan Nair]

Thanks anjana :) glad you liked the work :)

[Carol Phelan Aebby]

This is a wonderful write! To expose one's true self early on in a relationship is necessary for one based on trust and truth.

With respect and admiration,
Carol Phelan Aebby

[Roshan Nair]

Hey carol thanks for the kind review. Yes it is an extremely personal and difficult choice to let ones gaurd down and let the true personality come out.
So glad you found the piece meaningful :)
Cheers!

[Justin Xavier Smith]

Really, really like this one. It's definitely a relatable struggle. We all see in ourselves things that we know nobody else sees (or that we THINK nobody else sees) and it's hard to reveal ourselves to people, fear of rejection, fear of loss... it's a scary thing.

But there's also the flipside. Other people see things in you that you don't see in yourself. And the more you reveal, the more they're able to see. And perhaps they will see something even more beautiful than you could have imagined.

There's an interesting analogy: It's like you're driving in your car, and you're dragging a massive tree branch beneath you. You can't see the branch, because you're too close to the situation. You're inside of it. And you can see that people are staring at you and pointing at you and trying to help you but you simply don't have the perspective to see what everyone else is seeing. It's only when you stop and remove yourself that you're able to see what everyone else has been saying all along.

This is true of good and bad things about yourself. If lots of differently people are telling you, consistently, the same thing... you might want to step out and analyze, just to decide if maybe they're right.

[Roshan Nair]

Your words are very true Justin. The onus is as much on us to decipher what the others are pointing at or meaning than going about our way feeling misunderstood or masked. I admire your perspective on it.
Thank you so much for the kind review. Glad you liked it :)

[Saddam]

Interesting write there dear friend..............

[Roshan Nair]

Thanks man! appreciate it

[Saddam]

You are welcome dear friend.

[Afraa]

Roshan, the intensity in this piece is very high. How ever did you think of words like these? This could not have been worded better. The title, the description, the actual poem are all well put together, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. This is impressive, but for the most part, you rendered me speechless.

You seem to abide by rhyming in every other line (yes, I caught that). I think the rhyming made this piece all the more alluring. I have to mention your description again because it is very moving, and it made me subconsciously nod my head. Very true!

Epic write, my friend.

Thank you for sharing wise words.

[Roshan Nair]

Your review everytime inspires Afraa. thank you for being so kind. Im very happy you like the rhyme structure I use. I keep playing with different ones to see what comes out.
so glad you stopped by. :)

[Afraa]

The pleasure was all mine! :)

[Deepika]

This is a top notch work,
keep writing!

[Roshan Nair]

Thank you so much deepika :) Im glad you feel so

[Ishita Dixit]

Stay, for this is who I will be,
Leave if what you see isn’t what you
need.

I loved these lines.
No one can wear a mask for too long. And true love is that which stays by your side even when they know the real you.
You know who belongs to your life once the mask falls off.
I liked this poem/song a lot!
Keep up the good work Roshan!

[Roshan Nair]

Thats really true ishita.. Im glad you empathize with the emotion i was going for! Thank you :) will keep goin'

[Ishita Dixit]

You're welcome! :)

[Ishita Dixit]

You're welcome! :)

[dan]

You speak of masks, which we all sometimes wear whether we realize it or not. Billy Joel wrote a song called "The Stranger" that follows this theme throughout. A sample?
"Well we all have a face that we hide away forever
And we bring them our and show ourselves
When everyone is gone.
Some are satin, some are steel, some are silk and some are leather,
They're the faces of the Stranger
But we love to try them on."
The masks we wear is always fertile ground for a theme in a writing endeavor, and you pick up on this extremely well. "Let alone fallen masks today, I'm no actor...." seems to dispute the fact that we often times HAVE TO put on masks and act so as to conform to societal norms. It is only when we become comfortable in our own skin that we are then able to shed all masks and show the world who we are. This is a great write, Roshan. Well done! take care...dan

[Roshan Nair]

Thanks a lot dan! i've heard the billy joel number. the man really does have a lot of lyrical gems!
It is most difficult to let go caring about societally imposed masks the most. Cheers!

[dan]

Roshan, You should be very proud of this piece, it's excellent. It was my pleasure to read/review. take care, my friend...dan

[Roshan Nair]

You're too kind dan..thanks ! It moves me that you feel so. Cheers dear friend.

[~]

Definite tension throughout the poem, but a great suggestion to come clean and be open.

[Roshan Nair]

Thank you for the appreciation! Yes a lot of people, including me, can only imagine what it would be like without any facade. But hope lies in finding someone who can take who we are.

[Emily]

Well written!
Keep it up!

[Roshan Nair]

Thanks emily :)