Veil

We all have a secret,
something few will understand.
Whether we like what’s
unpopular or
try what’s forbidden.
The people we are with,
and the group we are a part,
try to tell us who we are
and what we will be.
They wish for us to
conform.  But,  there is
always the part of ourselves
that dwells deep inside
and screams
for freedom, for distinctiveness,
for hope, and for fear.

But our secret life covers us
like an ambiguous veil.
It covers our eyes and ears from
what others may say or
what they will do.
It covers our shivering body,
protecting us from the cold,
enveloping shadows
that surround us.
It keeps us safe from
the pain of rejection,
stabbing like a knife.
It keeps us safe from
the bitterness of reality, and
It keeps us safe from
what we have become.