We Wear the Mask

WE WEAR THE MASK

by Paul Laurence Dunbar

We wear the mask that grins and lies,

It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,--

This debt we owe 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 Christ, 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)

To read an article about Paul Laurence Dunbar, click here.

     

August Fogs

Folklore often says each fog in August means another snowfall in winter. The English proverb in the photo below says otherwise.

 

Timepieces

Here is a found poem of mine titled "Timepieces," a found poem consisting of quotations from Edward Gorey and Christina Rossetti. It is on page 53 of the 2020 edition (the Spring 2020 issue) of The Bluestone Review. To read the 2020 edition of The Bluestone Review in its entirety online, click here.

 

Trusting God Gives Strength

"Union gives strength," said Aesop. As the quotation below, Isaiah 40:28-31, from the Second Edition (1992) of the Good News Translation of the Bible says, so does trusting God.

Don't you know? Haven't you heard? The Lord is the everlasting God; he created all the world. He never grows tired or weary. No one understands his thoughts. He strengthens those who are weak and tired. Even those who are young grow weak; young people can fall exhausted. But those who trust in the Lord for help will find their strength renewed. They will rise on wings like eagles; they will run and not get weary; they will walk and not grow weak.

 

The Expected Fury: A Quotation

Earth seems to hold her breath before the expected fury. Lightning scores the sky from zenith to horizon, and across from north to south "a fierce, vindictive scribble of fire" writes its blinding way, and the awesome silence is broken by the cracking thunder that follows every flash.

Celia Thaxter (1835-1894)

Quoted in Thoughts from the Mountains (Heartland Samplers, Inc., 1992)

To read an article about Celia Thaxter, click here.

                                                                  

The Great Realisation | Tomfoolery