An aging mask
If I could

I’d build a mask

Of simple driftwood

Smooth the sharp edges

Apply a stain

And affix an expression

Of simple happiness

To show the world

Then I could

Hide away without reservation

My mask would

Allow me to appease

The infinite masses

That seem so absorbed

In their own

Happiness and success, blindness

I could help

And at long last

Forget the feeling

Of my own heart

I could forget

My own tired voice

Or the weight

Of my own words

I could sink

Deep into the fugue

That for years

Has grasped my heart

With steady hands

I’ve wanted to be

Cared about for

Such a long time

Maybe if I

Hid behind a mask

I would forget

To care for awhile

No one would

Be burdened by my

Silent sadness again

I would be

A passive, obedient star

Floating deep in

The infinite vacuum of

Someone else’s life

Then after awhile I

Could be alone

And not feel worried

At long last

Because It would be

No different