We wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,-
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
...
Read full text
"With torn and bleeding hearts we smile" and it need not be a mask.
FIVE: And these lines from his poem too: Why should the world be overwise, In counting all our tears and sighs? Nay, let them only see us, while We wear the mask. What a GENIUS! !
FOUR: I cite 4 lines from his poem: We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries To thee from tortured souls arise. We sing, but oh the clay is vile Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
THREE: This magnificent poem is worth reading more than once, so touching to read nd what he really meant?
To the family of the Great Poet (his close-family who still reside in the USA) Congratulations on being chosen as THE CLASSIC POEM OF THE DAY More than once, many many times!
TWO: A very thought-provoking poem, a genius poet who has created this masterpiece.
ONE: The time this African American poet lived was the USA a 100% white race society, that is, this poet has experienced disappointments everywhere, but nothing about that in this poem, instead he wrote this honest poem that has become a masterpiece.
Pretty old poem. But speaks words which are true even today. Great write.
Congratulations as The Classic Poem of the day, chosen for so many times. Most deserving! 5 Stars!
Great and wonderful poem, true for most of us. Top marks.
It is poems like this that give me breath and thanks for knowing i am not the only one who feels this way. This poem is older then my existence and yet its message is still relatable. I long to shatter that mask. Brilliant work!
Thank you dear poet for sharing this beautiful poem and congrats for choosing as the Poem of the Day
I so admired this brilliant poem, so many times chosen as The Classic Poem Of The Day. A very thought-provoking poem.
Oh what a great poem! And I like the comments below so much!
Need more be said? For a more perfect portrait yet, search no more, Because in this
The philosophical meaning is deeper than the reader may think! . A profound piece of poetry, a Masterpiece of Dunbar, we wear the mask!
Though he never lived to see it, this poem embodies not just the human experience but the autistic condition as well. As a man with high functioning autism I wear a mask that I need to survive it is heavy but necessary. Wonderful poem!