Where do I go today
How do I know
Which way to turn
Around me I see darkness
Surrounding me
Eating my soul
Blinding me
Suffocating me
Killing me
I want to scream
Beg for mercy
But the darkness
Censors me
No one can know me
No one can hold me
When I tremble
See me, my eyes plead
Love me, my soul begs
Not with words
When others get the message
And dare to peer into
The consuming darkness
Why do they turn away
When they see me
Am I so grotesque
So disfigured by the scars
Of yesterday
By the darkness that claims me
Another face looks in,
And turns away
But the darkness welcomes me
Wrapping around me softer than
A lover’s touch
Enveloping me
Embracing me
Why fight to find a voice
Why struggle to find the light
“Come with me” it whispers
“Stay with me” it begs
The shattered fragments
That were my heart
Cry out in agony
As the darkness
Weaves its silent web
Sings its siren song
Feeding upon my soul
A mask it provides for me
A mask to shield me
From the light
To make them see
What they want to see
The mask that keeps me here
Hidden and alone
Forbidden and unknown
Silent and scared
Weak and unprepared
©2001