Thursday, May 13, 2010

Mask

All Hallows Eve, Mardi Gras, Masquerade balls, wedding veils and now our secret masks we don while in our online Facebook existence. Cripes! Even the Birdman wears one on his blog site. Aren't a lot of our days filled with hiding behind different masks? Is that a bad thing?

We Wear the Mask

WE wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.

Why should the world be over-wise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.

We smile, but, O great Lord, our cries
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask! Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)




9 comments:

  1. Marchin O'NeachtainMay 13, 2010 at 7:07 AM

    An online virtual gathering is what Facebook is
    All those who scorn this opportunity be, a dis?
    Cast you all into a life of mixed identity.
    For it can be the future for all
    But we rue the day to those who fall.
    Naysayers of FB may fly high into the sky
    Please oh please, give faith, why deny?

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  2. You may wear a mask on your blog, Birdman, but I saw no evidence of one at Bull Feeney's.

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  3. I guess it becomes a problem if one needs the mask.

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  4. I always used this poem when I taught the Harlem Renaissance unit. Students loved to discuss how we use masks (make-up, veils, for example) the purpose and results. Great photo and reminds me of Carnaval in Mazatlán, México!

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  5. Great photo, and excellent verse. Is this yours? Very nice.

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  6. Nope, Kitty, that was me in living color, foibles and all.

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  7. This is so eye-catching! Very cool shot!

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