Two people in one,
is that how you feel?
The reflection in the mirror:
a collection of masks
used and reused
Named and unnamed,
each mask is
attached with a purpose in disguise
A different mask worn for different teams
knowing what counts as foul play and
what gets you thrown out of the game
Put on, take off
dress up
an everyday Halloween
Some masks, masquerade
but these masks are authentic
gifted to us for free
Masks at home,
fabric made from helping hands
chained together
always a role played to please others,
conform
Masks outside,
fabric made from individual hands,
survivor mode
always discovering your true self,
unique
Masks with one team
come with offerings of food
and illogical gender norms
Masks with the other team
sometimes come with gender equality
and feelings of loneliness
With these masks, we play a balancing game
never truly belonging
but always winning
Susanna Semerdzhyan is an ESL Instructor and poet from California. She was born in Armenia but grew up in Los Angeles. Drawing on her experience of being an Armenian-American, her poetry is about identity and touches on themes of multiculturalism, multilingualism, empowerment, authenticity, discovery, confidence, community, and belonging.
