Masks

Heat rises to the surface as it is applied, if it's good no one could identify you if they tried. Some use them to hide disfigurements, others use it until that tattoo is removed cuz no one would be digging it. They can be used as an adaptation to a climate that's frigid, or during poker to hide an expression that indicates you were inconsistent. Firefighters use them to fight the heat from the flame, policeman do so in case of retaliation the criminal can't match the face to the name. Even Ohio State wears on its plain to see, they love you? See what happens if you try to attend for free. The gloves & it comes off until you agree to pay the fee. Husbands & wives wear them it's a hard job but they continue to work it, you love the couple cuz they keep it hot like a furnace, don't kid yourself they are far from perfect. Marriage is a beautiful union, indeed it's true, but if you think it's flawless then it ain't for you. You have to take it off just to generate interest, you have to put on a display like a park picnic. Playas, pimps, mac's, ballas, they wear them too, they don't give a damn about a bitch, they just say that to you. There was a time when he was bare, he had feelings so he started to care. She hurt him cut his heart deep, just like the dog in the yard, if left alone too long, he doesn't wine, he weeps. Do you have any idea what it's like to take it off, then have to get another one that's uncomfortable & not even soft? Alone through the mist stands a general in the mask department, has them under the seat, the trunk, in a bag & the glove compartment. Even he doesn't know exactly when it started, but he knows what event most likely caused it. He wears it so tight it cuts off the blood to the rest of his limbs, he doesn't know if he's acting for you, or really being him. Two of his favorites often pop to the surface, one of limitless rage, and another with the feeling of is it really worth it? Now he will always be His servant, but his life is out of place like a drunk driver swerving. It seems only a select few are true, while everyone else is fake, he took the time to reach out, but how much more will it take. He realizes the got them on too, no time for new relationships, "I'll just stick with this crew." That's why he's always alone, no one thinks to invite him anywhere on the weekends via IM, e-mail, facebook or telephone. That same phone he now sits & looks at, thinking entries 5-10 on the speed dial should have never been set. The same "friends" he wished a safe & blessed break don't have the decency to return the gesture in the little time it will take. So if he don't really fuck with you don't be surprised, just reflect on how you shoved away his niceness all those times. He realizes that he should have never cared, these listed actions only prove they are scared. 4:33am, 3/20/07 and he's thinking, which one needs to be put on to require one to enjoy binge drinking? Throw up, forget the night, then run and tell the police your tale of plight. "I got raped, he took advantage of me!!" You could have gotten killed so shut the fuck up and consider yourself lucky, your sober inhibitions hid the demeanor of, "I want him to fuck me.." Then you wonder why dudes shake their heads when they see ya, it's because you're used & uninteresting like an overcharged Visa. It comes off when a friend dies, & you wonder where he goes, if you did your part when they were living you should be the only one who knows. The general has a legion of them, and can switch between any at a given whim. The salute is getting old, along with that stiffly walk, he wants them all gone so he can truly talk. His pattern is predicted, his mind is afflicted, so much so that he doubts if he's gifted. He steps from the mist, thinking the rain is beautiful on a night like this. Walking so slow he steps on a glass shard, the loud crunch makes him realize he's on the boulevard. Here he learned how to turn things off, forge ahead for the green but he's not playing golf. The glass is from something previously broken that's been repaired, he wants to know who erect it, who could've dared, and for what he is witnessing he was not prepared. The "father", "brother", "sister", & "mother" make up his pedigree, now he sees the clock & it's 513, it is at this time I realize the general's me…

- JioVanni