A Mask Too Heavy
Gathering the pieces of a childhood fractured behind a mask
I’m so sorry that happened to you
all those moons ago.
***
I remember so vividly,
us as children,
playing in your room,
laughing,
not a care in the world.
Your Dad appeared
and whisked you away,
said you needed to talk.
***
You were gone so long,
we waited and waited.
***
In the other room,
Your parents announced
they were getting a divorce.
Your Mum was moving away.
You were forced to make a choice.
Who to live with?
***
Your gentle heart
chose your Mum.
You wanted to help
with your baby brother.
***
Before your return,
you were given a mask to wear.
A fight broke out with your brother; he struck you —
they told you to say.
***
Bravely, you put on your mask,
and walked back down the hall.
***
You were just a boy,
too young for a veil so heavy.
Your mask began to crack under the pressure.
As you entered the room,
fragments of it
crumbled away,
dust upon your hands.
You collapsed in a heap
and told us the news.
***
Years later, I asked,
Why didn't they just wait until we were gone?
Behind a grim smile,
your reply — so simple, yet so sad,
You can't put brains in statues.
***
I'm so sorry that happened to you.
all those moons ago.
About the Creator
Sandy Gillman
I’m a mum to a toddler, just trying to get through the day. I like to write about the ups and downs of parenting. I’m not afraid to tell it like it is. I hope you’ll find something here to laugh, relate to, and maybe even learn from.
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Comments (15)
Heartbreaking but beautifully crafted, Sandy. No child should ever have to endure such things. "You can't put brains in statues," is so sad, yet ultimately it is true.
Well-wrought, Sandy! A sad reminder of how people will sometimes think more of their own plight than their children's.
Stunning work Sandy!
This is very deep and has several layers. The part that got me is where he was told that his brother - a baby struck him. The senselessness of him being told to blame a baby makes the emotional manipulation very painful. It shows how little regard the adults had for truth or the child’s emotional reality. Very well written Sandy.
This literally gave me chills. So sad but so beautiful. 💜
Ooh this is heavy... So beautifully written, too. So sad how many of us need to grow up too quickly...
Heartbreaking 💔
I read this like four times in a row. I especially liked that the beginning and the closing lines are the same, so it felt like an endless loop. I could relate to this so much, I felt like I've been see... that's why I read it several times.
I love how you used the moon to transport us through time. The time of this little ones life. It breaks my heart. Reading that the little one was whisked away by the dad. You remembering that you waited and waited. Cuts really deep. No one should ever have to make that choice. But you understood more than anyone could. Being so close to the tragedy yourself. You grew in empathy for him. Wanted to help with his baby brother. Oh! 😭 This hurts too much to read. They told him to say... 😳😧😮😲 'dust upon your hands' wow. You described him in such a powerful vivid way. That I can't help but to grow in my own empathetic, sympathetic way. 'You can't put brains in statues' okay I am dead. The pain and hurt this poem made me feel. Killed me. But somehow I am still breathing to type this. This was breathtaking. Absolutely passionately written. I am blown away Sandy 🤗 ❤️
I are a good friend from the voice in the poem. You feel the sadness and a. Child being someone he is not ready to be😔
Wow. There are so many similar stories in life! Nice job for the challenge!! ❤️
This is heartbreaking, but with a true love for the person you are discussing. I did a quick read of the comments to find out what you said to Dharr. I am sorry your friend had to go through that and that you by proxy had to carry weight from that. I love that very powerful line "you can't put brains in statues" so very true and wise, Sandy. As heartbreaking as it was to read, I loved the matter of a fact feel and the unfiltered honesty to it. A beautiful rendering, if sad. Well done.
This carries so much tenderness! My heart aches for the child behind that mask, yet I also feel the strength in your empathy. May healing find its way through the cracks. 💖
Omggg, this broke my heart so much 😭😭😭😭😭 Did this actually happen?
Nostalgic kinda lines amd very touching Sandy. @Sandy Gillman