Masks

We Wear the Mask
by Paul Laurence Dunbar

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, O 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!


You can tell I am the poetry girl here, huh? Well the reason I like this one is I think we all have a tendency to put up a mask hiding who we are. We hide from people in our effort to hide from hurt.  Sometimes the only person who can see us is Jesus Christ.

I don't think we do it on purpose it is a subconscious thing. Last fall when Mom had her surgery, people would often ask how she was doing and then ask how we were you doing. My pat answer is always "Fine." I really dislike telling people when I am hurt or just tired. Yet this is just pride. My pride doesn't want perfect strangers to pity me. I am not saying to burden a stranger with the knowledge that you moved across the country, and that your mother had major surgery, but when people ask, be honest. I am so preaching to myself on that.

What about your family? Can you hide from them? I know that I can't. It is to hard because they know me. You understand right? The kind of know that knows your favorite songs, your inside jokes, your strengthes and your weaknesses. That knows who we are and who we want to be.

The point is be honest about who you are and not to hide behind a mask made of pride.

Anyway the above poem then made me think of the below quote: (esp. the first four lines)

                                                                           credit
I have now given you (and myself) more than enough to chew on.

Melissa