The Mask Poem by Peter Hall

He wakes up in the morning
And regrets another day,
Puts on his daily mask
To prove that he's OK.

Gets ready for his work
With a feeling that he dreads,
He wants to look in control
And wise in all he says.

Turning up for work
His face is all smiles,
But he wishes he was elsewhere
About a million miles.

Portraying a lot of confidence
But inside is self hate,
Producing a tension within
He wishes he wasn't a fake.

But he survives another day
He's made it once again,
Feeling insecure
Like a failure feeling condemned.

He turns on the T.V.
After tea with kids and wife,
A chance to escape
This hell they call his life.

But a knock at the front door
It's a few family friends,
He puts the mask back on
He wants the night to end.

As he goes to bed he thinks
'I'm nearly at the end of self,
I need some outside help'
He puts the mask back on the shelf.