In the gilded animated theaters of Chengdu and Shanghai
You can witness the changing faces of actors on their stages
Who play out mythical scenes with astounding panache
Moving masks for disguise, so subtle, so fast
Maybe twice in the blink of an eye
You know it happened, and appreciate the change
But you did not see it happening
The masks of beauty, grace and perfection
Today there are other masks, covering faces all too clearly
Not in theaters, they are empty, patrons disguising faces at home
Avoiding the worst that a virus can do
Yet generating social unease
To mask or not to mask, that is now the question
Mandates or no mandates, civil liberties torn asunder?
As pride and ignorance together ensure recrudescence wins
The mask itself becomes the myth
Myths abound in the modern world, not of Chinese, Gaelic or Romani fables
Where glorious but unbelievable behavior takes place
Instead, in lies coming from the unchanging faces on their political stage
That appear believable to the loyal, forever gullible
What types of masks are these pretenders wearing?
Their carapace provided by inverted truths
Propagandists convincingly pretending
The black mask is white and the earth is flat
Winston Salem, North Carolina, USA, April 2022
