An enigma beneath a smiling mask
A Vigenère cipher you think you have the key to
You see a tranquil stream
but she’s a tsunami waiting for her earthquake
She was once a white painting
The beauty of the intricate strokes of the brush
Her warm white, her tactile texture
was lost on the foolish world
Like a fraudulent artist
you marred her canvas
You teased her with touches of royal blue and light lilac
But before she knew it she was covered in a cherry wine red she did not want to be dipped in
Your preconceived notions
Your Quick conclusions
Vandalised her
Ruined her
No longer will I hide behind the mask
No longer will I let you think that you can decipher me
As I begin to scrape away the bruised black and that cherry wine red
The ground begins to shake
– Linu George