An Open Mind Somehow.. Poem by RIC BASTASA

inside the room
i saw the masks
which you confessed
wearing
under the justification
of your harsh times

i've seen you laugh
when you wore one
which the world had
known to be you
through and through

in my time i have
realized how fraud
has ruled the world
in order to survive
how ruses bloomed
how swindlers thrived
how parties sprout
the laughter in those
halls
how traitors had
become heroes
how names switched
on and off
like the blinking
lights of that
disco house

i only have one face
one body
and i feel guilty having
you in my house
where everyone is real

my friends cannot
accept you and my world
detests your presence

time and distance cannot
mend our broken souls

it started with pretenses
wanting to heal
with a confession

what do we end when
we have never really began?

now fit as you are
blend with the chameleons
enjoy the changing
colors of your skin
flexible to the times
attuned to the seasons.

i sit on one of those
chairs in a Parisian cafe
watching people pass by
but in fairness of this world
i will not keep my conclusions.

as i sip coffee
read the news
i will not keep my
hands closed