There's a lot of meaning
behind this ****** cue

Hidden behind it
could be any number of feelings
and infinite combinations of them
excitement
love
pleasure
happiness
devastation
hate
sufferin­g
depression.

Yet we plaster it on daily
often consider it a mask

We bare our teeth
and hide behind
upturned corners.

M-a-s-q-u-e.

Me.

Mask. Me.

Ask me, see me; look within…
Past my mask,
Past my scars,
Past my fears,
Past my charms,
Past my ugly weakness,
Down to the soul and
The soil of my sin.

Yes, I hide here but I will also
Reveal the real, in me.
Behind this shield,
I stay closed
But the door of my
Face tells more,
For those who can see.

Clearly, I am a clown.
That is plainly shown.
But beware:
I am also a bringer of truth --
My truth -- and my beliefs
Are born from deep in the bone.
I stand in defense of my voice
Like a soldier behind the wire.
I bring my armor for the war:
My heart, my hope,
my humanity,
my burning inner fire!

I bring a desperate spirit of courage
And uncompromising desire.
With this act, I will change the way things are!

Though I wear a disguise,
I will enter the theater and
Take my place
On stage.

I will perform my story --
The tale of a tragic martyr -- and
Give expression to my rage.

I will wear the mask,
Secure the armor,
And raise the shield.
I offer to the world the
Chain-mail of my flesh,
My tarnished soul,
My battered bones and
Bronzed heart, concealed.

From this stage,
I will show my scars,
I will engage the enemy.
I will **** my fear.

My mask tells so much,
For those who can hear.

Don't trust him.
His game is to play you; showmanship winning over the room.
Capability and knowledge cunningly imitated with sleight of hand.
Promises, their empty conclusion yet to unfold, and the nod of a mask.

Bluff and deceit form the paint on his mask,
and I see the cracks forming.

Universal
You know the bandage pull
And how they say you should
Remove in one yank?
Oh, for comfort, true.
I've got the addiction
Just like you.
Meet me on the carpet crisscross
And we can slowly tug the
Adhesive for the pain we need
Over days. Better yet, stay.
We can hide ourselves for years.