The Masquerade

Individual beings are lost and
Become dissolved into
The swirling swarm of
Those costumed in
Outrageous outfits, and
Masks.

The colors and lights, so bright
They turn the sun pale,
Leave the eyes
Wandering, wondering where
To turn next
In this chaotic hysteria.

Gleaming teeth behind red lips
Show empty smiles, and
Only shiny yet dead eyes
Which give no true twinkle or shine
Beneath those heavily decorated
Masks.

Bodies maneuver through
Pre-organized choreographies,
Careful not to take a
Wrong step,
So as not to seem inexperienced at
The shallow art of the masquerade.

Everyone, stunning as always,
Glides gracefully across the floor.
Swish, as the elaborate gowns
Brush against each other, yet
Never do the bodies within the gowns
Impact upon one another.

Incredibly, the gowns and suits,
Extraordinary they may be,
Cannot compare to the fabricated
Constitution of
Those detailed and elaborate
Masks.

Once donned, these little
Works of art
Become your identity.
You are the mask, but
The mask is not you.
The mask controls everything about you.

In such masquerades
Attendants are identified by
Their masks,
Not by their actual identities.
The masks determine
All aspects of their owner.

Mask befriends mask, but
Body despises body.
An assortment of false relationships
Abruptly arises, but no effort is made
To cease the insanity, for
No consequences are anticipated.

Crash, two bodies at last
Meet on the floor.
Mask had befriended mask, but
Body still despised body.

A brawl breaks loose;
The two bodies begin the let out all
Held back emotions.
Suddenly, they realize that they possess
A common enemy:
Masks.

Masks which control all.
Masks which hide all.
Masks which suppress all.
Masks which dictate society.
Masks which have dehumanized all.
Masks which destroy.

Desperately, the two who had
Only a moment before
Been fighting,
Reached out to all other,
Attempted to rescue humanity, but
To no avail.

Within moments, the two
People are swept out of
The masquerade,
Never to be seen again.
The masks and the bodies in gowns and suits
Continue, without a care in the world.