Every day, we struggle to see
What lies beneath our masks
Sometimes, I hear laughter
Then I see a tear roll down,
Sometimes, the silence is loud
From the thoughts
Echoed from the mask we wear.

Daily, we point out the have nots
While forgetting what we have,
And with all weariness
Put on the mask and step out,
Hoping to convince all
But fail to convince ourselves
That no one is perfect…

We gasp for air, yet still wear our masks
Dying slowly yet living loudly
How long do we have?
Before it’s finally taken off,
And all is seen for what it is,
The perfection and imperfections
We failed to accept…

(c) Chukwudi I.