Perceptions

Do you see me?





Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
I am a woman of many faces:
Mother, Daughter
Friend, Sister
Widow, Writer
Survivor

My roles define the façade you see
I conform to your reality
Never unveiling my complete identity

I parcel out my character
Offering tidbits to delight, entice
The designated consumer

Your view is obscured
Tainted, tinted, rendered incomplete
By your imagined image

Will you dare — Do you care
To shine a light on my persona

Shapeshifting like a kaleidoscope
A psychedelic palette freckled with crystal and coal
Charming and disturbing
My colors twist and turn

Once there was one who embraced my entirety
Who gazed pierced my mosaic individuality
And did not turn away

Iridescent, my soul shone for him
Enraptured, my soul captivated him
Unfiltered, I was known

What is the face you perceive
Will you — Can you — comprehend my totality
Or are you limited by necessity

Do you see
Me?


Originally published on Medium.com

One thought on “Perceptions

  1. Lisa, this is so well done. You truly represent the many facets of the subject only to point out that the people who encounter her have a narrow view. It is like a child seeing a mother with that primary lens, not realizing as much she is a friend, a lover, a daughter…Keith

    Like

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