P is for... Please hear what I'm not saying

I wear a dark mascara, I wear Jimmy Choos
I drool over Chanel, I have a collection of a million shoes.
I wear a confidence that only a few can muster
If I have to get there, I tend to get there faster.
But try to see the lines embedded beneath that eye,
The soreness that comes, when the heel gets high.
I don’t do it all for me, I am sometimes suffering,
Will you please hear what I’m not saying?

I am ruthless, I have broken all rules,
I am just perfect, never have those blues.
I eat mutton on Tuesday, Temples are not for me,
Feminism, AIDS, oh, I care a damn about child literacy.
But did you hear I make kind gestures to the poorest stranger,
I want to sponsor a girl child, want to help her like a mother .
Every night before sleeping, you’ll hear me praying,
But you can’t for it's silent…Can you hear what I’m not saying?

If I crack silly jokes, it doesn’t mean I have a non-existent IQ,
If I act like a teenager, it doesn’t mean I haven’t grown up like you.
No, I won't drop the act 'cause I like it that way,
And I don't want your sympathy, don't think too much after this essay.
Just be aware of the mask 'cause, like you, most of the time I’m playing
Like you, I want to be heard, but first, Please hear what I’m not saying.


I wrote this poem 3 years back because someone said a few things which annoyed me. Something like that happened today as well and I tuned out thinking of these words. This verse is inspired by this poem penned by Charles C. Finn and it has had a huge impact on my life. We all wear masks, don't we? Then why is it so difficult for others to understand us? Think about it.