The Man Behind The Mask Poem by P K Joy

To be able to live among you elite
I strive to hide my real self behind the mask
And frills of modernity’s urban etiquette
Which this village-bourn often finds a hard task.
The mantle of urban culture I’m forced to wear
Is a burden for this unpretentious man to bear.
One who grew up carefree amongst simple folk
Feels impeded by the city’s behaviour and talk.
The frugal living my parents gave me as a rural lad
And the social layer in which I am reckoned in the city
Are far apart. Here money and power determine identity
And cultural values are subservient to wealth. How sad!
Behind the mantle and mask of the urban bureaucrat
This carelessly reared villager does suffocate.