UNMASKING by Fiona Goodwin

Taking off a mask
feels like a death
Revealing something new
and something that was always there but couldn’t be seen.
To uncover my heart, to show who I am
I must grieve
Say goodbye to the person I am
And all the familiar ways
that were a comfort
when I most needed them.
I’m looking for the moments
When a new mask can be removed
When fight and flight no longer serve me.