The hard pride is
only a mask
covering the fearful being
underneath.
It is I,
trembling in the marketplace.
Am I here
hoping to impress?
I know under this cover,
I am blocked, walled in,
and what can I do to remove it?
Come down the barrier,
it is just me,
shivering and trembling.
Are you surprised I twitch so?
All glamour gone
with a single baring.
Do you stare at the
odd pale jelly like thing
that has not ever seen the sun?
It would not be this way
if . . .
if . . .
well, that's what I've got to learn.   
I've taken off the mask,
this is a good beginning.