Jekyll and Hyde.


Mask


Behind the glittering mask
Your smile
So seductive
So full of promise
And deceit

At the masked ball
Once more
You, a Queen in velvet and jewels
Myself, the Jester
Harlequin, the Fool

So we play our parts
The music begins
You, the center of attention
Until the crowd, bored, seeks better entertainment
Juggling 10 balls in the air

Eyes resting on orbs
Movement constant
The crowd is fickle
I drop 9 balls on the ground
Your coquetry and insider gossip
Have the partiers enthralled

This game we play
Mere entertainment
We each despise the other
Unable to spend another minute
In your company

Done with the deception
I pull the mask off
A pause between songs
A joke dies on the air
Unspoken

Your face, my face
Your cool disdain, my ready laughter
Empress and Fool
One and the same.

The band plays on.


March 23, 2008

© 2008 Anne Westlund




Poetry by Anne Westlund
Read 704 times
Written on 2008-03-30 at 03:59

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Rob Graber
"One and the same"--what a clever masquerade this poem pulls off!
2008-03-30