Within These Walls

Within These Walls

In these walls, a sanctuary smoothed.

Of jarring noise and glare, I come to rest

As gentle curtains mute the world outside

Kindly allowing me to softly nest.

No more pretending, no more pantomime

Of who they want and need me to portray—

That masked facade I wore like shield

Melts in the twilight, fades away.

Fingers twitch, tracing contours

Of an emotional landscape

Freeing spirits, echoing trapped words.,

Flowing fervently as I stim.

No more constraints or suppression,

Diving in the surging sea,

Riding waves, their rhythm my pulse.

Unrestrained and free.

These walls enclose a serene lagoon

A haven where I'm cradled, calm and safe

To peel the mask and find the self I've hidden

Behind its hollow eyes and painted face.

Come dawn, I'll don the mask once more,

But in this interlude of sacred dark,

I am reborn, returned, restored before

I re-emerge, re-armored, set to spark