A Villanelle on Identity

Take away my identity, take my face away,
I’m a man; I know you’ll take away my light,
The rosy, the pink go, then, the yellow peels away.

The world isn’t black or white, ‘tis fraught with gray,
You must take away everything, take away my sight,
Take away my identity, take my face away.

Good men now tell me, how they are cast away,
We must hurt, damage the best, howsoever slight,
The rosy, the pink go, then, the yellow peels away.

The best do not speak; the worst have all their say,
Then, it is too late; the birds are already in their flight,
Take away my identity, take my face away.

The arrogance will not remain, it would slowly fray,
The bravado of the day turns to trembling at night,
The rosy, the pink go, then, the yellow peels away.

The pomp, show, you can no longer hold your sway,
What seems grand will never be so, it would be trite,
Take away my identity, take my face away,
The rosy, the pink go, then, the yellow peels away.