FLEE

They say things aren't always as they appear,

Deep within I've often had a sense of shame and fear,

I try to mask it by wearing a disguise,

Attempting to make it hard to 
recognise,

I'm hiding the self-loathing and hurt that I feel,

I pray and hope that the time will come where I heal,

It doesn't change what my loved ones receive from me,

It's from myself that I desperately want to flee,

I wonder about others who may be able to relate,

How they deal with being consumed by the hate,

The everyday struggles, the heavy weight to hold,

Going about life with all of this hidden and untold.

© Poetic Anita Ashwini Shea 2015