It's not me you see grinning from ear to ear.
It's the puppet
stranger,that helps me face fear.
The puppet stranger is a jovial fellow
His face is cold and his skin is
sallow.
I can make him wink, or dance to a tune.
He's an overgrown moppet and
such a loon.
Puppet stranger is always there
to guard my secrets with very
great care.
His mask like titanium a rock solid shield.
My sadness inside he will
never yield.
But the eyes of the mask remain exposed.
My naked sorrow is easily
transposed.
If you saw the real me what would you do?
Would you befriend me or say
"Too - da - loo"?
That chance is something I'm not willing to take.
So I send puppet
stranger, a great big fake.
Only lately he mocks me and say's with a sneer,
"Are you too craven
to face your own fear?"
"The eyes of the mask are empty you know,
your feelings shine
through with a healthy glow."
I know that his words are so true.
Still I wear his mask it's stuck like
glue.
Then I ask "Holy Spirit can you remove the mask."
and His
reply is "You had only to ask."
The glue is too strong for my strength alone,
but as the Spirit helps
my faith has grown.
The more I trust my Lord's dear hand,
I see nothing to fear in this
bleak land.
The mask comes off bit by bit,
Day by day with power of the
Spirit.
Brian Bennett, April 1997