Under my Masks
A poem by Alexander R. Zimmer

Under my mask, you may not see
That underneath, my emotions run rampant.
Anger, sadness, nervousness, fear,
All mixed together and chasing
Happiness, comedy, and excitement away.

Under my mask, you won’t see my attempts of attention.
You won’t see that I starve for help
To get away from my pain and grief.
I want the help, I do, but you can’t see through my shields,
No matter how loud they shout for it.

Under my mask, you may see
That I have severed the thread between life and love.
I have slaughtered that thread, and the pieces are too mangled
To put back together.
I want love. I want affection. I want to have someone to cuddle and snuggle
Till we fall asleep on the couch.
I want it all, but I can’t have it anymore.

Under my mask, you will see the pain
If you care enough to look for it.
You will see the grief, the fear, the anger that threatens to escape.
You will want to help, but will lose the words when you try to help.
You will lose the courage, the motivation, the interest.
You will convince yourself that I will get over it…





I won’t…