Saturday, May 19, 2007

Mask

It comes off now and then

And has a soap and rinse

To remove

Sweat and grime

Spittle and vomit

Dust and blood

To get patched up

From finger rakes

Painted nail gouges

It comes off now and then

But never for long

Fear and loathing

Hatred and spite

Place it back on

To face you all again

19 comments:

TMTW said...

Nicely done!

gautami tripathy said...

Sometimes it does come off. To be put on again.

paris parfait said...

Well done -the thing about masks is they often reappear.

Karen Travels said...

I immediaty thought of makeup when I read this...of course, I have never worn makeup in my life.

Great post.

~Kathryn~ said...

i wonder why it can't stay off for too long ....

love this

Liza on Maui said...

yes, that's a kind of mask often used. A well done poem.

JHS said...

Yes, "finger rakes" indeed. Wonderfully written. I could picture it as I read about it.

Lucy said...

painted nail gouges, made me think this is the mask of a killer. very eerie and thought provoking!

Rob Kistner said...

Whoa! Now that's a protective coating. Very powerful!

uberjam said...

first poem made for this week's prompt.

very nicely done! :)

Patois42 said...

I had the same reaction as Lucy: the mask of a killer. Compelling read. Thank you.

Mme.BlueWolfess said...

excellent...so true

p said...

whoa
what/who on earth is under the mask?
powerful prose

Jay said...

Hmm. That was kind of gross. I hope that you haven't been walking around with the vomit and spittle for days before washing.

ren powell said...

I like this mask as a turtle shell.
Frightening thing to admit we all need.

Crafty Green Poet said...

disturbing this mask.

Anita Powell said...

That was amazing! The images are so strong, so powerful.

Anonymous said...

Very lovely. This prompt has brought out the best in writing and honesty. Really nice.

- Chelise

Anonymous said...

"Dust and Blood"

Summarizes my own journey in so many ways.