Mask Poem by Mashiur Rahman

Prehistoric darkness behind beautiful masks,
Hand to hand, trading forbidden tasks.
The same inner darkness, ancient and deep,
Since the dawn of time, its secrets keeps.

Moreover, real and fake can be known in the night,
For masks and faces lose their separate light.
In darkness, both share a similar frame,
Shadow and substance becoming the same.

I have learned much in legal and illegal times,
Wandering through darkness,
drifting through rhymes.
Behind the bright light, confusion would stay,
Leading my footsteps farther away.

Along every road, I have listened to songs,
Yet nowhere does it feel that my life belongs.
The melodies linger, then quietly depart,
Leaving unanswered echoes in my heart.

Now is the time to refrain from it all,
Now is the time to hear my soul's call.
Now is the time to discover what's true,
To find my real self and begin anew.

Let my walk be my own, let my movements be free,
Let my path and direction belong only to me.
My sky, my wind, my bird in the blue,
Call me by my words, by the self that is true.

— Mashiur Rahman Mashi