Masks

If you've ever worked in retail or any environment with an emphasis on customer service, you can probably tell where I'm going with this post. Masks are what we wear when we serve the public, a face we put on to look professional.

What I find fascinating is that the masks tend to usually be the same. Friendly demeanour, just wants to get the job done. It’s almost as if it comes as part of the uniform.

I feel the presence of this metaphorical mask at work myself. When I see people I know come through, slipping into friendly dialogue doesn’t come instantly — it feels like I have to put a conscious effort to snap out of the persona I’ve placed on myself to be sociable. It’s strange.

So anyway, enough rambling — here’s a poem reflecting on the idea of masks.

Masks

Into shops we shuffle,

our wallets on a binge

for comfort foods stocked by

skin stuffed with porcelain

Found amidst the checkouts,

where time loses its pace

a figure stands, eyelashes

all ribboned up with lace

Words are always spoken

but the mask is hot with day

or night, it matters not

the sentence stays the same

 

Thanks for reading, Dean.