Eclipse Yourself

Exaggrated mannerisms that

Can’t disguise the inner-pain and fears felt,

Likened to an actress learning their vast role, and their true

Identity almost obscured - do you know who you are?

‘Passing’ in the crowd - cowering behind closed doors, yet

Suppression rules as her appearances require upkeep,

Eager to find herself under decades of secret layers, but not just yet..

Written for the Vocal ‘In Eclipse’ challenge, 2024

Quick Note: Pretty self-explanatory, yet I was thinking about how people sometimes find themselves presenting a new idealised version of themselves to the world on the daily rather than doing any ‘inner-work’. I guess I’ve been guilty of this in the past due to a few factors in my life and my old workplace etc. We want to fit in and be confident & resilient and all that, but sometimes it goes a few steps too far and one might lose sight of who they really are on a core level.

Obscuring one’s identity through “the in eclipse” seems to be a relevant metaphor. It can also be jarring when someone we care about changes quite dramatically through time and social pressures - have they really changed or just been temporarily eclipsed? Yet, like AI often discussed on here in writing, most of us too respond far more deeply to the jagged souls, the wandering nomads and the beautifully imperfect authenticity of selves.

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