Secret Face

By Cliff Lake

 

Secret Face

 

The morning breaks, the day begins,

Another day he won’t fit in.

Uncomfortable within his skin,

Can he conceal what he’s always been?

 

He puts on his secret face,

So that he won’t be out of place,

Maybe he can still win the race,

If he wears the secret face.

 

He works the day in his disguise,

The truth sometimes shows in his eyes:

A flashing fire when he hears lies,

In these times much on the rise.

 

His secret face resembles all,

A fortress, a blocking wall.

Conflict thus he does forestall,

From companion or cabal.

 

His secret face remains in place,

A refuge and a stolid base,

Against the winds of doubt a brace,

Yet something of an empty space.

 

But practiced eye can still trace,

What the wearer does embrace,

How he may retain some grace,

Deep behind his secret face.

 

The evening falls, the night begins,

Another day has found an end.

And though he still does not fit in,

Getting through is still a win.

 

Cliff Lake 1/25/2025

Copyright © Clifford Lake 2025

Location: Wichita, KS, USA

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