The Mask

Who am I? What am I?
It's hard for me to see.
I do not see myself
As the world sees me.
The expressions I wear upon my face
Are just a mask --
Made of paste.

Inside I cry for time gone past
And days that are yet to come.
But tears I cannot let you see
So I smile with the morning sun.

Courage I show at any cost.
Fears you will never see.
My trembling heart is all but lost
Deep inside this shell of me.

I do not hear the wind in the tree
Or rains that gently fall.
For if I pause to listen,
The world will loudly call --
"No time - No time to be free."

So much love I have
For God and my fellow man.
But I've hidden it well within my soul;
It has no place in my life plan.

Fears I have will never be known
Love will lie in strife
Seeds of thought cannot be sown
While I wear this 'Mask of Life."

I say the things you want to hear
See only what's in sight.
I live each day in dread and fear
My mask will crack -- this 'Mask of Life.'

Who am I? What am I?
Can this really be me?
No!! It's just a 'Mask of Life'
For all the world to see.