(Copyright ©1996 by Kristofer Dale, all rights reserved.)


                    Death Masks

   don't we wear it well
    this streamlined face
   while behind it lurk the cancers
    of the human race
   obsession with an idealized physique
    and having an homogenous skin
   are futile against the tragic hoax
    that zealots call original sin
   "it's better to look good than to feel good"
    is the general assumption
   tuberculosis may have been contained
    yet still we suffer from consumption
   expensive clothing cleverly applied
   will hide what damage within it resides
   but the faces reveal the thoughts, the souls
   of their owners whenever they lose control
   so we develop the mask that's not afraid
   the one that says "I've got it made"
   the unnatural disjoint faces through which
    we look at all the others
   like faces little children make
    who try to fool their mothers
   the crux of the matter for me is this
   a face misrepresenting what's inside is amiss
   for the feelings required won't have enough power
   to manifest growth and let our souls flower
   that we possess hearts, minds and souls
    if this be evident to you
   what cosmic harm will result
    from letting true feelings shine through

   the masks
   that deaden us
   to ourselves
   and each other...

                        aszsa