I ain’t afraid
no more, Mom.
I can show them
my real mask now.
It doesn’t hurt
as much as I thought.
I can lie now, Mom.
Crystal clear.
I ain’t afraid no more.
I’ll never remember
you scolding me not to,
because now you tell me
I have to.
Let the world burn
if it has to.
One lie wouldn’t make
much of a difference—
not as much as it matters
whether I told
a whole lot of folktales
and inconsistent stories.
I have to insist
on the untruth
you ask me now
to be committed to.
It doesn’t hurt as much.
You’re right, Ma, really!
And right now,
I’m not committing a sin.
This is all for your sake,
right, Mom?
No, Ma!
These aren’t tears.
These are cracks forming.
Nothing to worry about—
it’s just my mask, really.
Not as if it’s my heart
breaking apart.
Yes, Ma!
I’ll keep on lying.
I’ll keep the truth from
this awful, awful,
cruel world.
God—how I wish
I could die now.
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