The Bearable State Of Being Poem by RIC BASTASA

laughter is a mask.
the louder it is, the
more colorful.

wholesome conversations
too. And
social concerns, like
the way you tell them
that you are
sad about the sadness of
others

we show them
these masks. We step out
and mingle.

we get tired often
and fear that we soon shall
forget our names

so we go back to
a room where we are true
and comfortable with
our real nature

we take out the mask
and touch our faces

still smooth and soft
the bones in our jaws
still strong,
the hideous still
bearable.