The Mask
by Anonymous
I’m great, fine, spectacular. In a way
I relish every night, and I live every day.
I live, I laugh, I write, I sing,
I wonder what the new days will bring.
Then I get home, and I take off the mask.
The day, and almost impossible task,
Is finally over, and so I lie Down,
and wait patiently for the day that I die.
I cry, I scream, I bawl, and sleep,
even though I have promises to keep.
I wait, and wonder, and cry some more,
And I ache and burn from my very core.
Then, I’m not alone, and the mask reappears:
Out goes the grief, pain and all of the tears,
As I am a happy person, cheerful all the day.
A world full of rainbow, not one shade of grey.
Of course I’m not okay, I’m not fine,
No matter how much I seem to shine.
I don’t even know why I feel this...
Why my existence is one long, endless abyss.
But it is, and will be, so I cling to life,
As one day I might slip, and end it with a knife.
But, I’m still here, no matter what my dreams might say
And I hope that one day I will actually be okay.
I relish every night, and I live every day.
I live, I laugh, I write, I sing,
I wonder what the new days will bring.
Then I get home, and I take off the mask.
The day, and almost impossible task,
Is finally over, and so I lie Down,
and wait patiently for the day that I die.
I cry, I scream, I bawl, and sleep,
even though I have promises to keep.
I wait, and wonder, and cry some more,
And I ache and burn from my very core.
Then, I’m not alone, and the mask reappears:
Out goes the grief, pain and all of the tears,
As I am a happy person, cheerful all the day.
A world full of rainbow, not one shade of grey.
Of course I’m not okay, I’m not fine,
No matter how much I seem to shine.
I don’t even know why I feel this...
Why my existence is one long, endless abyss.
But it is, and will be, so I cling to life,
As one day I might slip, and end it with a knife.
But, I’m still here, no matter what my dreams might say
And I hope that one day I will actually be okay.
Analysis:
The Mask is a poem about someone who is depressed. The line, ‘Then I get home, and I take off the mask’, indicates that the persona pretends to be a regular cheerful person even though they feel miserable inside. This concept is clearly shown in the line, ‘and wait patiently for the day that I die’.
The theme in this poem is about teen problems and trying to keep them hidden. This is shown in the line, ‘Then, I’m not alone, and the mask reappears’. This line indicates that the persona is trying to keep her/his problems private. This is quite a large issue that is often seen in adolescents.
The tone of this poem rapidly changes. In the first stanza it seems to be about a joyful person, and then the second stanza transforms the poem’s tone into a depressing one. This negativity continues and the third stanza and then the pattern, of these three, is repeated.
The use of the metaphorical ‘mask’ adds extra impact to the entire poem and makes the reader realize that the stanzas are about his/her social appearance which is extremely different to his/her actual emotional state. He/she does this because the social appearance and what other people think of a teen is immensely important to them.
I think this poem is an excellent description of what many young adults have to face. It is also a high-quality interpretation of how many depressed teenagers act when they get home after an awful day.
The theme in this poem is about teen problems and trying to keep them hidden. This is shown in the line, ‘Then, I’m not alone, and the mask reappears’. This line indicates that the persona is trying to keep her/his problems private. This is quite a large issue that is often seen in adolescents.
The tone of this poem rapidly changes. In the first stanza it seems to be about a joyful person, and then the second stanza transforms the poem’s tone into a depressing one. This negativity continues and the third stanza and then the pattern, of these three, is repeated.
The use of the metaphorical ‘mask’ adds extra impact to the entire poem and makes the reader realize that the stanzas are about his/her social appearance which is extremely different to his/her actual emotional state. He/she does this because the social appearance and what other people think of a teen is immensely important to them.
I think this poem is an excellent description of what many young adults have to face. It is also a high-quality interpretation of how many depressed teenagers act when they get home after an awful day.
