The Mask I Wear

By Khushi Tanganiya

In a world of masquerades, I stood bare,

While shadows donned faces they didn’t wear.

Their eyes glittered with false light,

But behind, I sensed a hollow night.

I carried truth like a fragile flame,

But soon learned truth had no name.

It flickered, dimmed, in the gusts of lies—

In a place where realness quietly dies.

They smiled with lips that spoke deceit,

Each step forward, a hidden retreat.

I reached out with unguarded hands,

Only to grasp at shifting sands.

I never wore the mask, not then, not there,

Believing the world might meet me fair.

But my soul, untouched by their charade,

Was shattered by every bond they made.

Now, I wear a smile, thin as air,

A mask that hides my silent despair.

Beneath it, my heart beats true, but caged—

The purity I held now quietly aged.

I am not what I was before,

For the truth in this world leaves you sore.

So, I hide like them, behind my own disguise,

Not to be seen, not to be wise.

Conflicted, yes, but I survive the fight,

Wearing the mask, denying the light.

For in a world where faces blend and break,

It’s better to be false than left in the wake.

So here I am, with my smile sewn tight,

Hiding my heart deep, out of sight.

By Khushi Tanganiya