Every day I masquerade as somebody else. I mask my sorrow by a brittle smile I wander like a river Among the rocks of silence There is a reason behind my pregnant silence There is pain in my vermilion heart Hopelessness flowing in my blue blood Still I say happiness is my crown! I may not be like a clown Whose mask is visible But even a mask is masked by a mask! I wear invisible masks every day My past is the son of incubus In my lonely laughter Tears have turned to ashes I remember my name But lost its rainbow home Some people can be found Only in my memories Some things survive Only in my dreams My pain is unseen My desires are unfulfilled My muffled sobs unheard I know expressing my emotions Would not bring any change I lost my loving husband But for the well-being Of my little children I became a ‘Picasso of masked emotions’! * First published in Scarlet Leaf Review