I had no guide
No fable
To warn me
No mask
No boat
In one moment
I dreamt
Tucked-in

The next
Mute, staring &
In the ocean
The masses
Churned
Each bubble
A story
On the jet stream &
I was one

Years
Maybe without
A breath

Without
A mouth
I had no mask
I always wore
A mask
My beard
A mask
My strut
A mask
My masks an anchor
I surfaced
Breathed
Tasted
Salt
I went down
With a mask
Breathed

In the ocean
Each story
Inside me
A chorus
This pain
A current
This power
My eyes
Forgive me, finally
My eyes

I stepped out
Saw their sorrow
My sorrow
Evaporate
A cloud
I breathed in
Emptied myself
Clear
As the first rain