Poetry

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Life’s masked encounters,
Ones who have no face,
Live on in the voices
As we make our way.

Whispers cloth and paper muffled,
Sweet indulgences now life muted,
Never failing, always trying,
Heart aims to be heard before “Goodbye.”

Sweet innocence event hidden,
Smiles never by encounter known,
Giggles, laughs must be the bearer
Of heartsong’s language to another.

Sparkling eyes, rise of chin,
Demurely bending when encounter perchance,
Cues most often overlooked
Become the clear parlance.

Life’s masked encounters,
Hide more than lost whispers
More than lost smiles,
Make no mistake.

For as time moves forward,
The more we are aware,
The more stays behind the mask
Secreted back in fear.

Each roaming mask
Seeks shelter, solace,
Though fear peeks through the shutter,
Heart, unseen, precious haven finds.

The intake of life,
Breath bends mask’s creases,
As depth of emotion,
Causes sighs and stuffs senses.

Stuffed tears,
Stuffed sadness
Stuffed distress,
Stuffed fear.

People walk behind creased masks
Waiting for crease marks someone to see,
Waiting through blur of tears,
Waiting for hurt to be beheld

Immune, none are we,
Walking this once new, now old, path.
Look, really see, behold the masked faces,
Hear the silent crying people hold back.

Fear of dying, fear of needing,
Fear of not knowing when,
Fear of gasping, fear of pleading,
Fear of ending the pain within.

Before it’s too late,
Take the chance, really see
People here, people there,
People the same as you and me.

Be seen without the masks we buy and make.
To be known deeper than a glance.
The fears, more common than before.
Reach out, share, hear, and care more.

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