I've placed a shield around me,
To hide my inner shame.
There are demons found inside me,
That I never seem to tame.

My mind is an asylum,
Where I live in my restraints.
It keeps me bound in silence,
And my essence it does taint.

I feel alone and undeserving,
Of the me I keep inside.
It's for my own protection,
So I can never be despised.

If they reject my performance,
It has no affect on me.
Because it's not me they hate,
But the me I pretend to be.