The Mask Can Rest Now
The door clicks shut. The performance is over.
And the face in the mirror feels like a stranger wearing your skin. You spent the last six hours holding up a character so the world wouldn't see the cracks.
But the mask has fused to the bone. You do not know who is looking back.
The silence of the room is loud enough to drown out the act. You are exhausted from being someone else.
The light does not need the character. It never asked you to play that part.
It was waiting behind the eyes the whole time. The face you see is tired, yes.
But it is real. The actor can rest now.
The light was never pretending.
Drawing from
Gospel of Thomas, Matthew
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