"I show you the mask because you need me to be strong,
I show you the mask to act like nothing is wrong.
The mask is there to serve as my shield,
to keep me from having to show what I feel.
As time goes by the mask becomes normal,
but while the outside is calm inside is turmoil.
The mask makes me numb to the emotion and pain,
the fear, the anger and the feelings of shame.
I know that you love me no matter what,
but lately these days this mask is my crutch.
I have to remove it and show what's inside,
I don't want to wear it til the day that I die."
Ronald Boos Jr 2010
This is to my family and friends that have helped me without even knowing it. The poem is not very good but it is a description of the mindset that I have been able to leave behind me over the past two years with all of your help. I'm extremely grateful to you all for pulling me through.
