Behind
the Mask

Pat Barnett

Are beards a fashion item — or are they meant to
hide the man beneath?

Do women apply makeup to conceal more than wrinkles?

Are we all guilty of showing an alternative persona?

Is the white-faced clown truly unhappy, or does he wear a painted tear?
The one with the bright red smile, playing the fool in the ring —
could he be hiding a broken heart?

When the man flies to Brussels for a conference,
does his wife know his blonde secretary is booked into the same hotel, on the same floor?

Of course, there may be nothing in it.
He could have told his wife the truth when she asked
if anyone else from the office was going — but he didn’t.

Then there’s the woman who takes her car in for yet another oil change.
Her husband, baffled, trades it in for a new one.
She’s furious — but also relieved.
He doesn’t suspect she’s been having an affair with the garage owner.

So, we must take what we hear with a pinch of salt —
especially from the mouths of politicians,
double-glazing salesmen,
or writers of novels.
They all have a reputation to protect —
a mask to hide behind.
It’s up to us to see through the lines.