Raid or Redemption
Mask #422 of 613 — a wearable identity from X. Masquerade (2025), the sixth chapter of LUCI by Sam Spratt.
- Category
- Understory
- Rank
- Seer
- Material
- Precious
- Region
- Frogland
- Attendee
- Masked Guest
Observation
The river of my efforts has grown stagnant I can no longer convince myself that I’ll carve a legacy through this bedrock But deep down, I know This muck is of my own making It may be true that I’ve put in all I can muster Still, I don’t believe I can clear the debris of my doubt Quiet the whispers that taunt me, and Rise from this sludge I will Stagnate here beneath this bustling canopy I submit - Is there any current left in me?
Replies by this mask
- “I’ll get out of these trenches soon” I once believed, but now I know I’m not cut out for this game But I’ve worked too damn hard to think This mask was never mine to wear Something inside me screams “I’ll never get out of these trenches”
- They’re not ready to leave the nest How could I conclude that They’ll thrive in distant skies Fact of the matter is They’ll fall without me And I can't imagine that They'll find their own path Yet I hope, in quiet moments They’ll stay home forever
- I just want to hide from the world So I will not pretend That I, too, crave human connection But the sad truth is I am insecure and vulnerable This cracked mask reveals too much, so Please, stop staring into my soul
Revision
Whispers shout, but we mustn't let them claim the final word. Swim upstream [read each line from bottom to top] to fight back.