The Mask | Teen Ink

The Mask

November 30, 2018
By DancerWriter20 BRONZE, Mclean, Virginia
DancerWriter20 BRONZE, Mclean, Virginia
2 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Chins Up, Smiles On

I read it in a book

My mother told me once

After I’d cried for while in her arms

Wear the mask, we must keep going

Wear the mask, so the others won’t see


But I still see

I see the forced smile

the uncomfortable laugh

the quick look she gives to a friend


Our eyes tell the truth

You can see the sadness, the fear


You can only see if you look

Else it may be lost in the smile

the carefully calibrated phrase  


Cry later, in the hall,

wipe the look of despair off,

before anyone sees

what if someone sees


Perfectly parted lips

A beautiful smile

We are goddesses after all

Bound to perfection

Forever


The chains of a smile

The chains of a mask


The author's comments:

The phrase "chins up, smiles on" always stuck with me and I've said it to myself many times over the years.


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