Under the Mask

Static in my chest, I don’t make a sound

Learned how to vanish while standing around

I wear my calm like a second skin

Hide every crack underneath the grin

I keep my secrets under my tongue

Bite down hard so they don’t run

You lean closer, I hesitate

Truth feels heavier when you wait

I’m showing someone the face I keep hidden

Taking off the mask unbidden

Showing you my true eye

Peeling away all my lies

This is who I am

Take a good look at my soul

You won’t see it again

Neon light on a fragile frame

Say my name like you mean my name

I’ve been quiet for so damn long

Even my echo learned to be gone

Every truth feels thin as glass

One wrong breath and it won’t last

If I let you see me now

Promise you won’t ask me how

I’m showing someone the face I keep hidden

Taking off the mask unbidden

Showing you my true eye

Peeling away all my lies

This is who I am

Take a good look at my soul

You won’t see it again

No rewind

No disguise

Once you look

Don’t look away

Burn it in

Let it stay

I won’t repeat

I won’t explain

I stand still, stripped of defense

Soft confession, no pretense

If you leave, I’ll understand

I showed you more than I had planned

This moment cuts, but it’s clean

Better than hiding in between

Remember me as I am

Not the mask

Not the plan

I’m showing someone the face I keep hidden

Taking off the mask unbidden

Showing you my true eye

Peeling away all my lies

This is who I am

Take a good look at my soul

You won’t see it again