At 10, more or less,
masks meant Spidey,
Batman, and Scooby-Doo villains—
the old man from the fun fair.
~
the mask protects me
the mask protects us
the mask protects
offers anonymity
~
At 20, more or less,
masks meant Michael Myers,
Jason Voorhees, or
Point Break-style bank robbers.
~
the mask protects me
the mask protects us
the mask protects
offers anonymity
~
At 30, more or less,
masks meant the lies we tell,
the faces we wear for others
to hide the shameful truth
about ourselves.
~
the mask becomes me
the mask becomes us
the mask provides
delusional escape
~
at 40, more or less
masks meant protection
against Covid and germs
ensuring the virus—
inside stayed mine
~
the mask was me
the mask was us
the mask suffocated
the reality I was afraid to face
~
At 45, more or less,
my mask is off. I’m exposed,
skin bare with surface wear and tear—
who I am, bad and worse,
but honest, and freeing.
*
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Paul Stewart
Award-Winning Writer, Poet, Scottish-Italian, Subversive.
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Comments (12)
Unique and interesting way to look at masks in literal and figurative terms over a timeline. What masks are we wearing now? What masks have been worn so often that they're indistinguishable? Would we remove them if all fears were eradicated? Is the solution to make masks as uncomfortable as possible? Hmmm...that's a thought. Thought-provoking writing, unmasked man! 😁
A lighter version of "In Flanders Fields," or so the repetition led me to associate it. "In Stewart's Masks"
Excellent, as always, Paul
This was good!
Excellent take on the challenge! I love the different ages/phases of mask wearing. I’d totally forgotten masks & COVID!😳😵💫 Thankfully we didn’t have to wear masks as much as most of the world… lots of wide open space here.
This was so relatable! Loved your take on this!
Brilliantly structured and quietly devastating. Each decade peels away another layer, until only truth remains
Some terrific lines in there Paul! I particularly liked a lot and agreed with these, “the mask becomes me the mask becomes us the mask provides delusional escape”.
This is really clever, Paul. In my best Scooby doo voice
Very nice and relatable. I really enjoyed following the evolution of "the mask" through this poem. As children it's all fun and games but adulthood changes everything. Then along came the pandemic and masks meant something else entirely for everyone. This line "the mask suffocated the reality I was afraid to face" resonated deeply. I remember thinking sure it's bad, but not that bad. I was sure we'd make it through unscathed. Looking back, I think my Dad always knew he wouldn't. But onto the age where we finally stop caring what others see and accept ourselves for who we are. Is that what I have to look forward to in 3 weeks when I hit 45? Will I finally feel comfortable without my mask and be as brave as you?
This poem certainly rings true. It’s clever how you were able to incorporate Halloween masks, metaphorical masks, and medical masks. Well done.
Shouldn’t you be in bed good sir?