Behind the Mask

I caught a glimpse of them again,
The dark shadows that seem to chase me.

They think I can’t see them,
That I will never question their presence.

In honesty, I’ve become used to them,
Learned to accept their existence.

They seem somehow different to me this time,
Or have they always appeared this way?

Instead of the formless dark silhouettes,
Masked beings are what I catch sight of.

My pulse quickens as I sense a threat,
But I am unable to ascertain what exactly they threaten.

Suddenly, I see these shadowy forms dare to take from me the things I hold dear,
Almost as if my very existence is threatened by their presence.

Searching for an escape, I sense the figures drawing closer,
But how does one hide from a shadow?

Panic rises within me as I am overwhelmed by the ominous beings,
Frightened that I will soon lose everyone and everything.

Fighting the shadowy intruders only causes them to multiply,
Soon I face an undefeatable army.

A distant voice intercedes, giving me instruction,
Unmask the figures, unmask the figures the voice implores.

Summoning my courage and willing my panic to subside, I acquiesce,
Stretching out a tentative hand, I pull the mask from the nearest figure.

Disbelief consumes me as I discover that the masked figure bears my face,
So I unmask another, then another.

The shadows I believed were chasing me were in fact…me,
But why do I fear myself?

As unmasking my stalkers makes them disappear, I begin to think,
Is it myself that I fear, or something else.

Then it starts to become clear,
I fear the masked, hidden parts within me.