I wear a mask,

to hide my pain.

To leave it off,

Would see no gain.

Paint a smile,

Upon my face.

If it were gone,

Could show disgrace?

Put in boxes,

All my fears.

So my truth,

Just disappears.

And then when,

The sun does shine.

Thoughts in my head,

Becomes sublime.

Lift my soul,

To a higher place.

Remove the lines,

From upon my face.

Then my smile,

Reaches my eyes.

Vanishes my mask,

Removes my disguise.

And my happiness becomes,

A real thing.

In the truth,

That it does sing.

Warmth and sunshine,

Takes away my pain.

Until cold and darkness,

Sees it descend again.

_

Karen Burns is 51 and lives in Coventry, England. She is a graduate at Warwick after completing a Social Studies degree. Her interests are reading, poetry, writing reviews and she has a blog all about her daughter who has an eating disorder.