Reputation

When I was 10 

I had absolutely no idea what the word “reputation” meant 

I might have overheard it from grown up conversations 

But 

I never really searched for its meaning since I had much better things to do at the time 

Little did I know that this 10 letter word, 

Is the driving force behind all of the madness within this chaotic social structure 

With growing up comes understanding 

And sight, 

Because I have seen how most people would put on facade of fake emotions and smiles 

Hanged up on their public profiles 

Covering up the inner truest identity 

For the price of being an imposter of the highest quality 

I’ve seen the so called political leaders 

Masking their intrinsic wolf with an extrinsic sheep skin 

Always looking like active community members with such pride 

While really they are just hungry and greedy beings 

Secretly sucking out all of the citizen’s earnings 

Through taxes that go over the roof 

But yet act as though they are the ones bringing peace and order 

All in the name of keeping a clean reputation 

I’ve seen old friends erasing all of the bonds they once had together 

Just because of life’s inevitable curve balls 

Because they have found new and better friends, 

Who would think of them as weird 

If they hanged around with the old bunch 

All in the precious name of a clean reputation. 

We are all lying to each other 

By putting on body masks that create a false us 

And hides away the true vibrant character within us 

Drawing us further and further away from ourselves 

To the point where we will no longer recognize our personalities