most days it feels like i'm wearing a mask. a mask with a smile on its face - bright, hopeful, and radiant. the mask can feel things; it has a personality and a life of its own. it sheds hope and receives hope from the other masks around it. i wear this mask often.

I'm least aware of this mask when I'm with you. because when I am, I become the mask, and the mask becomes me. the life underneath the shadow of it ceases to exist. your presence is enough to chase the darkness away.