Symbol

She was -

a symbol ~ of courage,

a symbol ~ of wisdom,

a symbol ~ of strength,

a symbol ~ of calm,

a symbol ~ of hope,

that emanated

through her very essence --

felt by those around her.

But only she knew ...

what it takes,

to put on ~ a brave face

and mask

her intense thoughts

within.

a mask ~ of courage,

a mask ~ of wisdom,

a mask ~ of strength,

a mask ~ of calm,

a mask ~ of hope,

to cover the signs

of her scarred soul

~ and mind.

Reviews

[heavenscentgirl1]

Oh YumnaKay, this is a very heart wretching piece that I can so closely relate to.

I enjoyed reading this piece as a whole but my favorite lines were the repetition of the "Symbols & the Masks" ~ a very nice piece, in wording & presentation YumnaKay.

Wishing you a good day. 🌹

Blessings,
~ hsg

[Dr. YumnaKay]

Thank you for appreciating and your lovely words. Blessings to you as well 😊

[heavenscentgirl1]

You are very welcome ...

[Carol Cashes]

Excellent repetition to express how she is perceived, and the masks she wears to the world. Many times, we "fake it till we make it". I am impressed by this as I am all of your work. Well done seems inadequate.

[Dr. YumnaKay]

And every time you review one of my pieces, I'm reminded of how inadequate I am in understanding your writes but that is down to me being simple enough to comment upon it although I read all of yours too ;)
Thank you for appreciating this write, Carol.
Sometimes it's good to master the fakeness ...

[Carol Cashes]

Never let 'em see you cry? I'm a faithful disciple of that particular doctrine...
Simple? No, your just several plane of existence higher than me and simply can't remember the struggle down here.

[Dr. YumnaKay]

Aye, I believe in that too ...

[Sir Drift & Mr. Pulse]

This seems like you have been searching the philosophy in you

[Dr. YumnaKay]

Must have been that..

[Giulia King]

I really love this poem, Yumna! I don't have anything negative to say about this one :)

[Dr. YumnaKay]

Have you ever said anything negative about my work? I don't think so 😉
Thank you so much, Gullia! I love the fact that you loved it 😊💜

[Giulia King]

I guess I haven't 😊 You're a good writer! 💕

[Dr. YumnaKay]

I'm getting better 😉
You're superb yourself, G 😊 💜

[Kesha]

I really loved the format and flow of this piece! It's quite sad that most of us have to hide how we truly feel about particular things. Nicely written my friend :)

[Dr. YumnaKay]

Yes, it is..
Thank you! I'm glad you liked it :)

[Kesha]

You are welcome :D

[Isabella Ivy]

Yep! That's usually how it goes. Good words :) I.I.

[Dr. YumnaKay]

Thank you, Isabella! I'm glad you liked it 😊

[Isabella Ivy]

Blessings to you dearest!

[Dr. YumnaKay]

Blessings to you too! 😊

[Isabella Ivy]

I'll take 'em! Thanks :)

[Coyote Poetry]

It is sad we use mask and fake face to live in our world. I like the honest flow of thoughts leading to true ending. Sometime we forget who we were and can go back. Thank you dear Poet for sharing the excellent poetry.
Coyote

[Dr. YumnaKay]

Yes, sadly that is the case. Thank you for sharing your thoughts here 😊

[Coyote Poetry]

You are welcome dear Poet.

[yuhee]

such inspiring poem. Just lifted my spirit. Thanks

[Dr. YumnaKay]

Thank you! I'm glad you liked it 😊

[Chase Dylan]

Simple, yet defined by its incessant drilling away of the facade... Only truly refined discipline can shine through when emotions leave us scarred... Mightily penned....

[Dr. YumnaKay]

Rightly said!
Thank you. I appreciate your words here 😊

[William Liston]

This poem's message is very intriguing to me in that it expresses what we (as humans) rarely notice: that the most beautiful people can still feel pain. Outward appearances can tell the biggest lies at times ... a nice smile doesn't necessarily signify happiness; in fact, some of the most depressed people I've known were the ones who smiled a lot, but they were still, nevertheless, symbols of courage and hope, just like the character in this poem. I love the layers in this poem in that they convey both the woman's beauty to others as well as her concealed internal struggle. The almost parallel structure between the two stanzas portrayed this nicely.

For critiques, I noticed some grammatical mistakes:

1. "that emanated,"
That comma is unnecessary.

2. "what it takes"
"Takes" should be "took."

3. "to put on a brave face"
If you replaced the phrase "put on" with "wear," this line would read smoother in my opinion.

4. "and to mask"
The word "to" is redundant.

- William Liston

[Dr. YumnaKay]

Thank you, William for the appreciation as well as for pointing out the errors. Except for two, I accept all. Because I think "wear" really fit. And I used "what it takes" in general. Not as in the character's case but as a whole.
I appreciate your taking the time. 😊

[Dr. YumnaKay]

*don't think