The Emptiness Deep Inside Poem by Gert Strydom

The emptiness deep inside
eats like a cancer on me
and I wonder where I
fit into this old life?

Every day I wear other clothes from my cupboard
hide behind a smile
that I give to the world
and see strangers smiling back at me

and even this passes me meaningless
and sometimes I wonder
who measures out my punishment
as if the Lord is not seeing me
and knows nothing about me.

l’Envoi
That which lies behind my mask
is hidden so deeply
that nothing breaks through it
and with times
it’s as if I get big surprises

when things happen unexpectedly and indeterminately
and I see how He tries to teach me big lessons
and brings about radical changes
and even turns around the worst things.