To Hyde, From Jekyll



Inside me are two personas 

that constantly threaten to bleed into each other. 


One is impassive, sensible, and composed; 

the other persona is one that I have only worn alone. 


It is one that is delicate and glass-like. 

It can be described as china 

that is carefully held together by a few strands of glue. 


It reveals a new depth, 

a new vulnerability in my feelings

that few have seen. 


It is where the deepest and most profound emotions lie, 

hidden away from the gazes of others. 


Bottled up, 

these fierce emotions of pain, euphoria, and ecstasy 

threaten to make itself shown, 


yet the fear of vulnerability 

tightly screws on a cap to suppress it. 


***


Yet this mask is quickly fading, 

despite the other desperately clinging on to it. 


The latter is a mask 

so radically different from the first, 


yet they merge, 

and compress into one, 

becoming totally inseparable. 


Yet these are not housed into two separate identities;

though they are as distinct as good and evil, 


they stand as one in the mirror. 


___

Sena Chang is a musician, poet, and writer. Through her writing, she hopes to promote the importance of creativity in the world of academia, especially in a society with a growing emphasis on academic success. Her most recent works have appeared or are forthcoming in Ayaskala Literary Magazine, Raised Brow Press, and The International Educator, amongst others. Her Twitter handle is @senachang__


Featured image: A Kehinde Badiru original illustration. 

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