me (a poem)

there is a me that no one sees
the one i long to be
to live a life devoid of fear
i’m dying to be free

i see a world when eyes are closed
in dreams that’s where i go
for there i truly am at peace
in a place that few may know

those close they’ve seen what’s just inside
the me i choose to hide
while most still see what they expect
the mask i wear outside

i made this mask, and wear it well
so no one else can tell
there’s someone lying there beneath
this skin, my mask, this hell

~ elr