This Mask

By Shannon Cutts
©Lift Me Up Music, 2004, ASCAP

Behind this mask I am someone real
Behind my smile I’m afraid to feel
Too much hope ­- oh I can’t breathe
When I dream of breaking free

From this mask my mother wore
She taught me well and at her door
Before goodbye she said to me
Take this mask ­ my legacy­ but

I am beautiful though no one ever sees me
I pass the women on the streets and I know they feel the same
We are beautiful and if we stand together
We can let the masks fall at our feet

Without this mask I shut my eyes
Will the world cave in -­ oh, will I die?
And it’s this fear that’s killing me
As I dream of breaking free

Without this mask I feel the sun
Caress my feet and warm my womb
Open my hands ­ accept the grace
That frees me from this great charade cause

I am beautiful though no one ever sees me
I pass the women on the streets and I know they feel the same
We are beautiful and if we stand together
We can let the masks fall at our feet