Unmasqued

All my life I've hid behind a masque,

Performing for the world.

"The true you, what is it?" They ask,

But away I twirled.

For if I told them the truth,

They couldn't accept it.

I'm a performer, a masqued youth,

But underneath my story is writ.

I've been called contradictory, an enigma.

I'm complicated, hard to understand.

Who am I? The one they call stigma.

Keep removing bits of the costume grand -

You're almost there -

I'm the question with no answer,

The one you can't stand to bear.

Deep inside, past the layers, past the dancer

Can you see me?

The real me?

The not-so-simple-messed-up me?

Who am I? I don't recognize myself.

Remove the layers, take me off the shelf.