We Wear the Mask…no longer

WE WEAR THE MASK

by: Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)

We wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes–
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile
And mouth with myriad subtleties.

Why should the world be over-wise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us while
We wear the mask.

We smile, but oh great Christ, our cries
To Thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!

“We Wear the Mask” is reprinted from The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar. Paul Laurence Dunbar. New York: Dodd, Mead, and Co., 1913.

I read this poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar,  when I was no more than 7 or 8 years old.  Even at that age, it had a significant impact on my psyche.  I grasped the meaning and knew that even then, I was hiding myself from the world.

Some 30+ years later, the poem’s words continue to haunt me.  I see the mask of my clients, my neighbors, our politicians..and of course, my own. 

I, for one, have grown tired of hiding.  I’m tired of pretending that everything is alright when it doesn’t feel that way.  I’m tired of not speaking my truth-mostly to myself-about what works and doesn’t work for me.  The mask is heavy and today, it no longer fits.

I am ready for the world to see me…as I am.  And to discover, what life would be like if we all began to show up without our masks. 

I look forward to seeing my beauty and yours.

Finally free,

Lisa