I do not know who wrote this, or when. Do you?

The Shell

That which you see

Is just the shell

That covers me.

Deep in the centre

Hidden from sight

Is the very essence of me,

Guarded, unrevealed.

You do not know

What lies inside the shell,

For I do not I show

The veiled and secret person

Who is truly me.

My spirit, protected from pain, 

Is imprisoned at my very core.

No one can know

Unless they stop and seek

To know who I am,

Or know me well

Or take the time to listen

And discover who is truly me,

For I do not trust and I do not tell.