My mummer’s garb,
My troubadour’s clothes,
I wear many masks
Through my life play.
Joy before the audience,
Sadness behind the curtains,
Peace with fellow actors,
Envy for those not in dialogue.
My masks change on the writer’s whim
As she script shifts.
Shakespeare said
All the world’s a stage,
But what if the veneer falls?
What if I stepped
From the glamor and glow
Beyond the red drapes?
In what realm might I dwell?

-- Katherine Givens