Breyanna Brumfield, Masks of Tragedy and Comedy

“You wuz just like de rest” they were wrong. i don’t look like the rest so I’m not The Rest. i don’t act like the rest so I’m not The Rest. i’m not like The Rest. a mind that is painted with different colors to represent the different regions that defines if one is out of their mind. a body marked with scars letting them know that they have obstacles not like The Rest that proves if they are strong enough. a face that determines if you are black, white, mexican, indonesian, chinese or just a face that is either pretty or ugly. eyes that give you the ability to read this poem and see if you are like The Rest. tell me if you are black or white. does it matter? tell me if you fit the beauty standards. does it matter? tell me if you are actually mentally stable. that might matter. i just want to know

if im just like The Rest. if that is so then will i get thousands of likes on instagram? if that is so will i fit the beauty standards? if that is so will i get the rights that i had to fight for?

if im just like The Rest

will i stop crying myself to sleep at night? will i stop looking in the mirror and wishing to be the girls that i hope to be? will i stop masking myself trying to be what i know i’m not? if i’m just like The Rest

having to switch my masks in and out everyday because they only last so long. using my humor to cover up the tragedy of thoughts that run through my brain every time i look in the mirror and see what brings me pain. trying out new masks to see if it fits the character that i want to be that day. if i’m just like The Rest do we all have masks to cover up what we don’t want the audience to see? do we all experience the destruction of one’s mask because we’ve been that character for so long that they have to find a new person to fill that role? do the masks we have stay happy and sad or confused and mad or frantic and bland or psycho and damned? or do they feel what we feel and wither away as we peel it back to reveal who we truly are? i just wanna know

because i’m not like The Rest

i don’t have the blonde hair and blue eyes that make you stare a lil while longer i don’t have the perfect body with hips and breasts that catch the eye i don’t have the courage to act the way i want to i don’t have the ability to be ok i don’t have it and probably won’t ever have it but who has it? the brain, the body, the face, the skin, the privilege someone does but i know i won’t and that’s fine because i’m not like The Rest