The Man In The Iron Mask

You can not tell what I'm thinking, no face to see,
the reason for the mask was to protect my fallibility,
no way to see if I'm happy or sad, if it's even me,
you know my voice but that's muffled in mystery.

I could be someone else, how would you like me to be?
loving and caring, who would treat you properly,
don't tell lies or be disingenuous some of the time,
hang on to every word until there's a mountain to climb.

It's debilitating, wearing me down, I feel like a clown;
I have great resilience, still here, not even a frown,
not that you would see my expression anymore,
I make allowances, tick the old 'good box' law.

Now it was time, to remove this facile, silly facade,
however, when you no longer have protection, take guard.