We wear a cultivated look

Behind which is ego’s nook

The real self is hidden

Any contact is forbidden

There isn’t enough left

We can’t afford further theft

Of the real self’s last fragments

What we have are fake sentiments

A cultivated look is the mind’s choice

Awareness does not have a voice

A cultivated look is a lifetime’s work

Enthralled, the ego sports a smirk

A cultivated look isn’t an honest friend

Life’s riches aren’t for those who pretend

Life rebounds from the seeds of the real self

When the cultivated look is retired to a shelf