Collection of Faces 

By: Julia Clover 

My endless collection of faces

One is a loving daughter

Another, a kind-hearted best friend 

A team player 

Or an empty face passing by 

I switch them out between classes 

Each friend group requires a different one 

I tear them off and sew them on quickly

For I’ve had years of practice   

My first period asks for social 

While my second asks for respect 

Lunch calls for quiet and soft-spoken 

My friends ask for funny 

But no one asks who I really am behind each persona   

I go home to my parents 

They see an apathetic teenager 

Who thinks of nothing more than friends, boys, and video games 

But not even they know 

The depth of my thoughts     

Come to think of it now 

I can’t think of a time that I’ve gotten to take off the faces

I’ve grown to live and learn behind them 

And I rarely let my bare self see the light of day   

Everyone sees a different me 

And that’s the way I like it 

That's the way that seems best for everyone 

If they’d like me to be quieter

Softer, kinder, louder, bolder 

I do what is asked of me     

If I switch faces 

Or maybe if I remove them completely 

Would you still like me? 

Would I still like me?     

Would I still be that caring friend 

That responsible team captain 

Or would I still just be another face 

Lost in the sea of complections?      

Sometimes I get lost 

Trying to find which face is really me 

Sometimes I forget to take them off 

And sometimes I forget to put them on  

“Are you feeling alright?”

“You don’t seem like yourself.” 

I smile and nod and rush to put the right face on   

But if I was truly myself 

Would I seem ugly and horrid?

Like flesh scarred with burns 

Or would someone find me incredibly blessed with beauty 

In love with who I really am 

Beneath the collection of faces