The Mask (A remediation of Maya Angelou's Poem)

Attempted a remediation of "The Mask" by Maya Angelou because of how it speaks to perils and resilience of the oppressed, while envoking a cheer of hope in the face of sadness. This honest attempt at poetry that holds sacrifice, gratitude and honour at its heart has been a great motivation in my life. I often revisit it whenever I find myself amidst the feelings of futility and dispair, this poem always fills my eyes with a sense of strength in sorrow (which is often overlooked). I'm grateful for this beautiful peice and how it speaks to me, hope I'm able to endorse the love and feeling it embarks.

Lyrics:

"I grow the fruit
and eat the rind"
this is the fate
I've come to find

"So I put on a mask
for workin' sake,
I'm too proud to bend
and too poor to break"
If this is some kind of dream,
then I wish you would
shake me awake

I've found silence
of a countryside,
in the prision that
I've come to hide,
so often does
my memory slide
and I wonder
what was my crime

There were rules I'd abide
and obligations I had left aside

"My life has been
a great big joke,
a dance that walked,
a song that spoke"

Reference:

Maya Angelou- The Mask