I wear my mask almost every single day It feels like I just can't get away. I wear it to hide the real and true "me" Hide me away so no one can see.
I wear a mask to hide the truth I was hurt many times during my youth. Trusting people who shouldn't be trusted My innocent self was truly beyond busted.
The mental illness that resulted from that Makes every day a day with combat. I wear my mask to hide from others My struggles that I seek to cover.
People with BPD struggle immensely To seek and to hold their own true identity. I count myself as one among them A lifetime of masks I have been condemned.
It feels as though I am a ball Up and down, forever I fall. Not tethered to anything, flailing about, A cycle I cycle, never to get out.
It affects my relations by ceasing to exist Even though I try hard to persist. My personality changes too often Hanging with me deserves a precaution.
So I'll wear my mask, I'll don it again To keep them from seeing me so insane. The true "me" is hidden, back to pretend I go, You know me too well, true "me" almost showed.
I wrote this as an assignment for my language arts class, and I thought it deserved a spot amongst my other poems. We had to reflect on Paul Dunbar's idea of masks, and I turned it into a poem to make it more fun for me.