Mukhota

Shakespeare in As You Like It wrote

All the world's a stage,

And all the men and women merely players

Are we mere actors playing our roles

Or merely enacting roles that the world wants us to perform

A perfect son to aging and ailing parents

A brave brother to a timid sister

A trusted husband to a wife

A super father to a child

An ideal worker at office

A friend who can be counted in all seasons

A rightful citizen to the country

In short, you are Ten on Ten

The Perfect Man

But if this man is merely acting

Who is the real man behind the mask

Who is the real you

How do we take off the mask

And discover the real self

Try standing in front of the mirror

Close your eyes and think

You will not have to think hard

And reveal you to yourself

Ask your mother if you are

Truly the Shravankumar who would carry her to heaven

Or you left her to fend for herself

While you ran the rat race.

That is when the mask shall come off.

Ask the loving sister

Where her brave brother was

When she needed her the most

How you found an excuse to be excused

The mask may vanish in no time.

Ask the wife at home

Who sees you day in and out

Is he the man to be trusted

Is he the Mr. Reliable

How loving he truly is

And the truth shall be revealed

The mask will be unmasked in no time.

Ask the daughter where the Papa was

When she had her play at school

Why he missed out on vacations

While he himself was travelling at work

The mask shall be peeled off swoosh.

Ask the office folks why he put self before them

How he moved up the ladder

Yet claiming to be deeply in love with his team

They know what lies behind the mask.

Ask the friend who asked for money

In desperation, in need

And how you missed his call

Did not respond to his many messages

A perfect friend indeed

The mask of friendship will evaporate.

 

So we all are players and actors

Acting and acting all the way

Fooling others, creating a false image

Yet deep inside lies another person

Not so good, not so perfect

Even the Godman preaching is no different

For he ran away from his worldly duties

Ran away from his family

To speak big, show his holiness

Yet behind the holiness lies hollowness.

Why blame the politician

Who is the biggest actor

Lying, cheating, fooling all

For he is one of us.

The same as you and me.

The only difference is that people see his falsehood

See through his mask

While yours remain intact for most

Creating a world of make believe

A world so made up and of perfection

Fooling and lying quietly

Wonder why do we hide the bad

Why act, for you are no God

We all have our weaknesses and faults

Both the good, bad and the ugly

Are in me and you

And no matter how good you appear to the world

Those near and dear

All know the real you

They separated the wheat from the chaff long ago

Stop acting....Mask off

Be you, find yourself.

SS