Ode to a Mask
Hidden in a plaster mask
For all the world to see,
Covered in bright feathers
A cockatoo waddles past.
Fancy dress at carnival,
Walking down the grand canal and
Yet another peacock cries
Dressed in orange and fur.
“What know you of her past?”
I asked my tourist guide ..
“A princess or a pauper?
“Who knows!” his shrugged reply.
For now we’re in September
Long past is Mardi Gras
No longer is it fun
To see her masked facade.
Hidden in a plaster mask
Dressed in feathers and silk
Once she was a beauty queen,
Now she’s just a ghost.
© G.s.k. ‘16
Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie – Photo Challenge and B&P’s Shadorma and Beyond (ODE)
Bastet and Sekhmet's Library 
thanks so much for your amazing response to the photo challenge – and excellent use of the shadorma prompt too – great ode Georgia!
You’ve done a magnificent job capturing an essence and aspect of the image – I love these lines:
“What know you of her past?”
I asked my tourist guide ..
“A princess or a pauper?
“Who knows!” his shrugged reply.
Speaks volumes – and then, to consider the time long past, still wearing the mask – so well expressed in the “sadness” or perhaps “scorn or pity.”
Well done!
Cheers ~ Pat
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Thanks Pat .. I’m happy you enjoyed this last write for your splendid photo prompts. It’s been such fun waiting for what you would come up with. Thanks for a wonderful job done … Cheers – Bastet
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thanks Georgia – it’s been a pleasure 🙂
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Hope to see you back soon!
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sooner than you think 😉
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🙂 I’ll be glad to hear it – You’re a great prompter.
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We are all something once..still are. it would be nice if the folks that were family actually saw us without our masks… and still accepted us.
Your piece reminds me of Lola at the Copa…
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/barrymanilow/copacabanaatthecopa.html
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I’ve got the impression that it’s easier for a stranger to see us than a family member … and it’s not just a question of OUR mask … thanks for the lovely comment Jules.
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I am still having sibling issues…distance always makes things harder. Never knowing when to call – and always feeling like you are interrupting when you do manage to communicate rather than being ‘a part’ – does not help.
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