Part II · Self

II. The Mask

i used the metal as something to wear. it covered my face in practiced steel. i polished it daily with silence and smile, bent to fit each gaze that passed. they never saw my skin beneath. but i felt the weight where it pressed too long, a heat behind the gleam i couldn't name. i forgot where my skin ended, where the metal began. they never saw my skin beneath. bent to fit each gaze that passed, i polished it daily with silence and smile. it covered my face in practiced steel. i used the metal as something to wear.