Disguised Beneath Roles

Often lost in the forgetting, blinded by the assigned roles, masks are worn only to be adrift from one’s soul.

Unravelling my masks has been my journey for a while now, and I refuse to wear another that’s assigned to me by someone else.

I've been a wishful thinker for most of my life, but in the acceptance of truth that stings, we find the path closer to our becoming.

‘‘Do it for the plot’’ had always been my motto, so I played my part in a story that was destined to fade all along. I wanted to see where it goes, even if it meant forsaking the truest being of my form.

I no longer wish to be part of a sacred memory that I did not know was written in secrecy; cherishing the moments that arrived in good spirits should only be a source of joy.

This morning, a text from another, looking out for their own interests, reminded me of what I’ve been involved.

First impressions are never meant to last. So I let the truth in a memory hidden behind chambers unfold. Holding on is simply deceiving oneself, and it is the worst kind of toll.

A beginning,
transcendent.
An ending settled—
dawn unfolded,
turned to dusk.

Each sunrise
doomed with a twilight.

Once upon a time,
there was a play.
Two for a heart,
a thirsty soul,
a mind forged,
destined to be lost.

Hidden in chambers,
darkest corners
of one’s forsaken soul.

A never-ending act,
disguised beneath roles.
The mask forgot its face—
only to be left
as a faceless stranger in return.

All that remained:
a phantom displayed,
a presence far above
this folly game.

A wisp of a character,
a shadow passing by,
visiting from another realm.

All it took was a gaze—
not to look, but to see instead.

The curtain fell;
no face appeared.
The act—
exquisitely staged.

Among all the masks we curate for ourselves, we take upon others that are assigned through the roles we were given inherently through each relationship.

The only control we have cones from within. To change a view of another’s way of seeing you is not possible; yet knowing oneself comes with the choice of refusing what’s imposed.

Today, I refused to wear a mask in someone else’s play, as my part did not align with my essence but lay beneath betrayal.

The more I know myself, the more I realise my essence cannot be contained under a role that’s brought forth neither of my own making nor of another’s design.
To live freely, I must learn to rule what lies within rather than chase what lies beyond.

Nothing ever stopped the greatest rulers of the history from their pursuit of conquest, so why should we hold back in the quest to conquer ourselves?

Are we not the emperors of our own lives?

As the Stoics taught:

“Man conquers the world by conquering himself.” — Zeno of Citium

Thanks for reading! Feel free to share and let the truth unfold.