My Mask

Mathepan Jeya Mahendralingam, MD/PhD PB

Each of us wore one
before this all started

An infectious smile 
to charm. Ingenuine narratives 
to coax. Inventive personalities 
to compete

Mine defeats 
inadequacies and
fulfills the need
to please

Mine protects
from their
Are you okays
and sympathetic tones

Mine has kept me too safe
to the point
that I don’t know 
or care
for which face I started with
but now I relax and rejoice 
to hide under a 
new blue one