Who am I?

There are layers upon layers.
Each layer a different me
Which layer is the real me?
I have forgotten. Who am I?

What about my masks?
The different ones I use.
A face devoid of truth.
Never displaying weakness.

I am complicated; fragmented.
Thousand of shattered pieces.
Some layers stitched; others glued.
And missing pieces in each layer.

You cannot see my layers.
Neither can I. Neither can I.
But I can peel off each layer.
Different masks overlapping.

Layer after layer striped off.
Mask after mask removed.
Yet another found beneath.
A stranger among strangers.

Am I Kindness; you see meanness.
I care; I help: hidden away.
I protect; I defend; not shown.
Always in control, mask in place.

Who am I?
Without my mask or layers.
Will you know me? I ask.
Or am I nobody to you.

By C.E. Pereira
(30-4-2017)