By D. R. DiFrancesco
~~~
Its a masquerade,
Decorated in random shades of color,
All to hide the true self from you.
~
I am ashamed of the real me,
For what reason I do not know,
Afraid I might be thought less of.
~
Oh the pure foolishness,
A game played solely in my mind,
Grounded in a child’s fantasy.
~
The excruciating pain of insecurity,
Every face a mirrored distortion of me,
Laughing, whispering, looking away.
~
They avert their eyes,
As if glimpsing some hideous monster,
There’s nowhere to hide.
~
What a horrible delusion,
I fabricate my own nightmares,
Without the comfort of slumber.
~
Travails have haunted me,
Ripping confidence asunder,
Though time after time I’ve overcome.
~
So ingrained is this sense of doubt,
It is woven into my being,
Like an old friend I could scarcely do without.
~
Still each new day is a struggle,
A torment to beat back,
Another chance for me to rise above myself.
Image: Standford University
Dom DiFrancesco 
I could really relate to your poem here. How many of us really do wear masks to protect ourselves from being judged or ridiculed? Most of the time the fears are like you say are childish. At times the masks are far scarier even then the true you inside is. Thanks for having the courage to share what is true for many of us.
Thank you for you kind comment. This is something that I have always suffered from just as I’m sure that many other people have as well. As always its nice to know that I am not alone. :)
Ah, shame. I know him well. Only accept shame for wrong you have done- shame over who you are is false and you don’t need to pick it up! Who you are is enough! Shame needs to be beaten back with a BIG stick, and won’t slink away quietly – it is the ongoing process of healing who you think you are that will make him turn tail and lose his grip! Here’s to rising above those lying messages!
Thank you Melody for your kind and supportive comment. I truly appreciate it. :)
So true… how often we feel this insufficiency, this creeping fear that maybe being plain me isn’t enough. But hey, tomorrow is yet another opportunity to rise above myself :)
Well said, tomorrow does provide another opportunity…thank goodness! This feeling always passes. Thank you so much for your kind comment. :)