These days
Whenever someone asks me,
"How are you doing?"
I plaster a smile
On my powdered face
And say–
"Oh, I've never felt so good!"
They too exercise their lips
And leave me to
Make the most of my day
With a visage, gleeful and gay.
So on and on I go
Showering little bits of
Exuberant blessings;
Like sprinkles on an iced cake.
The whole day
I keep meeting people
Some jolly, some sombre
Attempting to break free,
And go way up yonder.
Every night
I come back home
Finally relaxing the creases
On the corner of my lips;
Removing the cakey foundation
Along with the mask of
Joviality and optimism.
I keep the mask aside
To be put on the next day,
And wallow in the
Emptiness of the room.
Maybe one day
I'll gather the courage,
To throw my mask in a bin
And be able to declare:
"Hey, I'm not doing fine,
Would you like to care?"