A glimpse behind the mask,
a catching of the tongue.
The faces waiting in the shadows,
I know,
I've seen them before.

The breaking of a new day,
the makeshift of the moment.
A not-so-subtle desire,
an urge,
to discover the self.

A memory now,
disconnect me from my emotion.
How’d I fail to see through this disguise?
The layers of compassion
hidden
within those focus-wearied eyes.

A whisper,
an acknowledgement.
A tattering of delusions,
the picking up of ruins.
How much was it worth to learn what could have been known
Any other way?

The seconds turned into minutes,
the minutes became miles,
My breath tired,
it tried to keep up.

Calmness.
Now.
The centre of peace.
The questions and their answers
subsided,
a beckoning of quietness and solitude.