Mimic

Although I look human,
I am not.

I resemble everyone else,
But beneath the façade
I live a clandestine existence.

I maintain physical and emotional distance,
So that you will never notice
The reptilian brain
Beneath my skin.

It often feels as though
We don’t breathe the same air.
Our outlooks on life differ.

Where you can move among a crowd,
I must exist on the periphery.
To contain myself.
To maintain control.

I lead an exhausting life of secret mimicry.
Even when my mask
Occasionally slips,
I labour to maintain my integration.

Conforming.
Adapting.
Responding to your social norms
And expectations.

However,
When you are talking to me,
When you look into my eyes,
I am, in reality,
Many light-years away.