When I wear a mask,
You may be surprised,
To hear I’m like a spy in disguise.
No longer petrified
Of what they might see in me,
I am covered, an invisible wannabe.

I creep from shelf to shelf,
Acting as someone other than myself,
It’s a game for me to play,
A single escape from reality, today.

My dad thinks it’s itchy.
My mom finds it confining.
But I pull it on quickly,
Finding the silver lining.

I carefully craft my own costume,
From the sewing room, I leave to resume,
My foray into the unknown,
My quest among groceries, all alone.

How to explain the feeling I get,
Hidden from view
And free to forget
The terrors outside

In here I reside
A shelter of a mask,
Behind which to relax.

There is security there,
A kind of unknowing,
A mystery I control,
Am I smiling, outgoing,
Or angry, overflowing,
A mystery I never tell,
With the mask securely in place,
The secret is mine, a safety shell.