Beneath My Lovely Mask

Everyone wears a mask of some sort! None of us is perfect, no matter how beautiful we appear on the outside. Thus some people are extremely pretentious, perhaps trying to impress others or gain favor, while secretly afraid that if they show their true selves, they will be rejected. Indeed, we have all experienced fair-weather friends who 'love' us when the going is good, or 'love' us for our outward appearance, or 'love' us because of some benefit they can gain from us, only to disappear when the tide turns against us. It's a harsh reality.
Ahh, but deep down, we all desire to be loved for who we really are, and accepted exactly as we are. In expression of this deep desire, I wrote a poem. This poem is very dear to my heart, and is now being celebrated because it was my final piece and the winning piece at a recent performance poetry contest. (You can read a newspaper publication about my championship at this link http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=142952 )
And now, i'd like to share my poem with you:

Beneath My Lovely Mask
Copyright © Ifueko Ogbomo 2009

The applause is thunderous! The Cheers are deafening! Everyone is out of their seats!
I feel like a goddess, as they blow kisses at me and throw roses at my feet
Encore! Encore! They scream; longing for another captivating performance
So they can bask in my presence; as my enchanting words and melodious voice fill their hearts with romance
Backstage they’ll be scrambling over each other, hoping to get my autograph,
Pleading to have a memento of me, a personal item, or even just a photograph
The men will ask to have drinks with me, some will stammer, some can only stare,
The ladies promise to name their little girls after me, all to show how much they care
I smile politely, embrace occasionally, and wonder to how this can be
Do they truly love me, and would they still love me, if they knew me,
The frightened child beneath the flawless celebrity
Me, beneath my lovely mask.

Fashionably late, and dressed to kill, I glide into the circular hall
It’s almost comical, tiresomely predictable; I’m instantly appraised by one and all
Calmly making my way to the VIP section, my perfume leaving a sweet scent in the air;
I hear snatches of the conversations, as I part the sea of admiring glances and the occasional envious glare
'What beauty,' they say, 'what poise, an incredible figure,' and 'did you see her flawless face?'
'What lovely long legs, and luscious hair, what a dazzling smile, oh my, such grace'
Holding my head high, I quietly take my seat, disregarding the flattery that assaults my ears
I am sure they would neither envy me, nor lust after me, if they knew my silent tears
The sad girl beneath the stunning woman,
Me, beneath my lovely mask

What a day! - A book signing, cocktail dinner, and yet another proposal
Let’s see, that’s the third this week, nothing special, he said the usual
How my beauty is beyond compare, my face altogether breathtaking, a priceless work of art
My voice, soft and sonorous, music to his ears; and my lips pure perfection when they part
My skin is smooth as silk, the shade of lightly creamed chocolate, and my eyes, he says, oh my eyes
The entire solar system does not hold a candle to the depth or the glory in my beautiful brown eyes
Did I tell you he claims to think of me all day and dream of me all night
And that if I could only be his, he’d love me always, and never have another in thought or in sight
Ha! All this from someone who knows neither my dress size nor my favourite song,
Let alone the things that touch my heart - what a travesty, a shame, oh, an undeserved wrong!

“Why not take the mask off?” you ask, “let all see the real you;” alas you have struck upon my deepest fear
You see I did take it off once - I unveiled my eyes, revealed my heart, and allowed all to come near
But then the admiring glances became non-existent, the gifts and praise, inconsistent
My many fans became oh so few, and the once pledged faithful became untrue
No, no, no, indeed, I cannot afford this flawless facade to fade
No matter how lonely or lithesome I be, I cannot, I must not, this lovely mask trade
Don’t you see, if I unmask myself, he’ll discover my luscious hair is artificially enhanced
He’ll find out my long legs are actually unequal, and my silken skin is spotted and scarred
He’ll see my eyes are pools of sorrow that nightly swell and spill over, soaking my satin sheets
And my dazzling smile is masterfully doctored, to veil my bleeding heart
Alas the undying love he now professes, would vanish like vapour before a boisterous breeze
And then what would I be left with? ... Loneliness. Misery. Emptiness. Dis-ease.

Therefore don’t ask me to take my lovely mask off, NO!
Don’t let me unveil my sorrowful brown eyes, I implore you
Please, don’t make me reveal my broken and bleeding heart, I beseech you
For I cannot, I cannot! Let me be! Let me lie still, beneath my mask
It is flawless, stunning, it’s perfect, and day after day, I must keep it on
Secretly hoping that one day, one memorable day, someone special will come along
Someone kind, compassionate, patient enough, to slowly, softly uncover me
Someone who’ll see my flaws, my scars, my tears and nevertheless, embrace me
Someone who will love the frightened, lonely, sad, little girl, hiding deep within me
Will Someone please Love me, beneath my lovely mask ...
_ _ _ _ _

Last Words:
There is only one true, unconditional, undeserved, irrevocable and everlasting love, and that is the love of a perfect God, for an imperfect human - the love that God has for you!
God sooooo loved you, that he sent his ONLY Son Jesus to die in your stead, so that you could live forever!
If you can believe that Love, and receive that love, it'll change your life for good and forever!
- Lady InspiroLogos