they wear masks with unsettling cheshire grins

gleaming under the lights which betrays a plastic perfection

dressed as something they are not, it is no longer a sport

it is the laws of nature; survival of the fittest

but this is not my biology class

in which i learned the anatomy of a human being

and paid just enough attention to know that the epidermis is the outermost layer of the skin

not some foreign material which suffocates the masterpiece genetics has made

a sharp eye can cut through the layer of film shielding one’s face

in the competition to see who can disguise themselves the most

the biggest loser would be a more fitting name

i am a ghost

invisible, haunted

unnoticed i study the long-practiced art of pretense and notice i am not the only transparent one

we are a gathering of fools, monsters, sinners, looking to shield our transgressions

by becoming someone we are not

afraid of ourselves

as much as the things we pretend to be