“Beneath the Masks” by Sara Aharon

Beneath the Masks

Masks

First invented

For rituals

Symbols

Identifiers.

Then masks

Formed personas

Characters

In theatre.

In the theatre of life

Masks keep

something hidden
In-visible

In-cognito

Covering our

True selves.

I (whatever that means)

Think

We all hide behind

A mask of

Our unconscious

creation.

Some wear a mask of

Smiley faces

To block a well of tears

Others wear

Hugs and kisses

To cover ice.

And there are masks

That can’t hide

Only distort

Trying to fool

but fail.

Masks of

chosen personas

Let the real ones relax

Safely

Tucked in -

the shadows.

Masks

We wear them now

In different colours,

Shapes

Fabrics, patterns

Beneath the

N-95’s

Is only ME

And I can’t wait

For ME

To meet

YOU

Again.

For now,

In the play called

Pandemic

I seek a new mask

After spending years

Peeling the old.

I think I’ll order

the polka-dot or

leopard one.

Sara Aharon lives in Toronto. She is the proud mother of two adult daughters. These days she makes her living as a virtual psychologist, and since she has more time on her hands, she writes about plagues (and other things).

See Brian Henry’s schedule here, including writing workshops, weekly online writing classes, and weekend retreats in, Alliston, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Georgina, Guelph, Hamilton, Jackson’s Point, Kingston, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Midland, Mississauga, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Southampton, Sudbury, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.