Give me a mask
And I will tell you a lie.
Take away the mask
And you will hear a simple reply.
Give me a mask
And I will no longer be shy.
Take away the mask
And I cannot effectively lie.
The king wears a mask,
His full authority to project.
The vizier wears a mask,
His full seniority to protect.
The Red Indians wore painted masks,
Their war-like nature to superimpose.
The Tibetans wore ceremonial masks,
The foibles of human nature to propose.
We consider the mask an invitation to lie;
Truths lay in the wings their truth to espy.
Indeed, the mask may contain untold truths,
That echo in the silence with horse’s hooves.
We are hardly ourselves in our own person;
We just wear the mask with the air of a virgin.
Full face in the mask; no betrayal to surprise,
The truth shines thru by the light of the eyes.
We try on masks to see what suits,
As a child slips into little red boots.
If we don’t like one, we take another,
All with the aim to appear as a brother.
Think of all those who have no identity,
They simply take one from those aplenty.
Beware of finding one that doesn’t suit,
A mask to betray your true identity to boot.
The bird wears no mask, only sings melodic song;
The monkey goes about as if nothing is wrong.
The peacock fans its tail as a telltale mask,
Look at me, the bird inspires, I am up to the task.
Animals wear no mask, what you see is all true ,
Savage and implacable, there is nothing undue.
They gaze upon the world with their pitiless stare,
While we watch them with reserve, totally unaware.
No matter whatever shape or form is the guise,
Masks take very little effort to give way to surmise.
Behind the mask, how easily one can simply devise
A world of surprises involving more lies, lies, lies.
Then upon lifting the mask, we will clearly reveal,
What lies embedded in the face as indelible seal.
None other than the reflection of the noble Divinity,
The only thing considered Real here and in eternity.
we all wear a mask till we are comfortable with ourselves after i have written and doing my books 4000poems for 23 years is a lot to put in books so my mask is fine with each season hugs loved it
I worte a long review that disappeared. Suffice it to say, you've gathered the verbiage of many truths, especially for someone who spent a 50 year career in the Hollyweird whirlwind of mask living.
I love the line, "The truth shines thru by the light of the eyes," because in most every instance I've been able to judge whether someone is foe or friend. Sometimes I'm wrong but not often. Rebecca
As I read, I thought about the "roles" that we are expected to play in life that have rather rigid rules of conduct. For example judges wear long robes and sometimes even white wigs to carry on a tradition of a role passed down from medieval times that seems rather archaic today.
I'm not sure all masks hide lies. And I don't think your example of the "Red Indian" was fair or even true. And birds, certainly do wear more colors than many other animals in the natural struggle to be the best looking when it comes to courtship. Noble divinity is the only reality?
Oh! What I could say right now but I try to stay clear of political "talk". Just as the "Phantom" wore the mask when he would profess his love for Christine, he could not face her without it. Oh, the thoughts you have conjured up in my mind!! 'Love it!
I'm of the opinion, John, that we all wear masks on certain days of our lives. Wrote a poem about it even, I'll have to dig it out. Masks. I am pretty sure I wore many different kinds of masks during my so-called two lost decades, and am also sure they saved my life on a few occasions.
Selected poems from previous & forthcoming collections together with Q&R apps on each page to enable audio rendition simultaneously with the written text
Using Calgary as a backdrop the author satirizes the self-serving nature of the public as it continues to fatten itself, not only physically, but egotistically as well.
I'm not sure all masks hide lies. And I don't think your example of the "Red Indian" was fair or even true. And birds, certainly do wear more colors than many other animals in the natural struggle to be the best looking when it comes to courtship. Noble divinity is the only reality?
Ron
Love ya!
Jane