Deny me of image

I understand that
in my day and age
everyone is trying to find their place.
trying to figure out how they think for themselves.
And who they are.
Dying to become a somebody
instead of sticking to the shadows in their cowardice
but this? ...
I understand that people now become individuals
but most of them are just
posing for the cameras.
It's always been and epic race
to find higher places in everyone's memories.
Even though they all end up being
erased.
They all just become rows of unforgiving porcelain faces.
Replaced by another day's unmerciful grace.

It's always been a pageant.
And the judges always seem to be the contestants.
In truth, there is no need for a competition.
We all know that everyone feels the need to be accepted.
We all know and see our beauty.
We already know who we are.
But we've decided to ignore it
deny it and go for someone else's.
Selfish acts of self indulgence
as beauty silently slinks away, denying us its selfless consultancy.
It's a dog eat dog world.

Everything is now a contest.
and everyone is a mandatory player.
Even through prayer, I can't escape
or grasp an understanding of this.
You all seem to run from lies, but truth sighs that you're denying this.
Even purpose in life has fallen into an endless abyss of image.
Everything
is a contest
a game to be played
a pageant
a race to be made.
Crappy lives held up by the thinning strings of the media
some unknown and daunting puppeteer.
And I can't help but hear the voices of caged souls near.
And everything begins to disappear.