Flawless
He was 15 going on 50
Too young to have seen so much
Too old to have lived so little
He wore masks that most
Built their whole lives
But only perfected between 30 & 40
(His were already flawless)
Only 15 and not a single crack
Thought-out, perfect movements
Followed by a flawless smile
(That actually reached his eyes)
Always tense, always ready & waiting
Only flickers, shadows, & glimpses
Flashes of true like lightning
There, bright, and then gone
Leavingly only an after-image
Blazing against the dark
Only able to be seen clearly
When eyes are closed
Ironic that his only peace
Was found in death's cousin
(The only time he looked young)
Created: November 2005
Last Edited: 5 April 2010
Notes: Based off the anime Gundam Wing. In this series, there is a character, Duo, who has always been my favorite. He's seen some really horrible things, but he has this smiling mask that seems almost perfect. Some of his past: he lived on the street for the first part of his life where all his friends die of a plague, and then he was taken into a church orphanage which, because of a choice Duo made, was destroyed and everyone in it killed. Half the time, I think Duo's face isn't a smiling mask, and he's really learned to be happy despite everything, and the other half of the time, I think it's just a coping mechanism. This poem, obviously, is about the latter.
Too young to have seen so much
Too old to have lived so little
He wore masks that most
Built their whole lives
But only perfected between 30 & 40
(His were already flawless)
Only 15 and not a single crack
Thought-out, perfect movements
Followed by a flawless smile
(That actually reached his eyes)
Always tense, always ready & waiting
Only flickers, shadows, & glimpses
Flashes of true like lightning
There, bright, and then gone
Leavingly only an after-image
Blazing against the dark
Only able to be seen clearly
When eyes are closed
Ironic that his only peace
Was found in death's cousin
(The only time he looked young)
Created: November 2005
Last Edited: 5 April 2010
Notes: Based off the anime Gundam Wing. In this series, there is a character, Duo, who has always been my favorite. He's seen some really horrible things, but he has this smiling mask that seems almost perfect. Some of his past: he lived on the street for the first part of his life where all his friends die of a plague, and then he was taken into a church orphanage which, because of a choice Duo made, was destroyed and everyone in it killed. Half the time, I think Duo's face isn't a smiling mask, and he's really learned to be happy despite everything, and the other half of the time, I think it's just a coping mechanism. This poem, obviously, is about the latter.