Mask Fatigue, a Poem for National Poetry Month

Image source: Canva

Mask Fatigue

I'm tired of masks.

Aren't you?

Those closed doors,

those mufflers,

those smile stiflers

that limit connection,

silence talk

and end up strewn about the sidewalk

and parking lot

by people who care not

for cleanliness

or decency,

at least not more than they care 

for themselves

and the way the masks make them feel caged.

I think that's why they cast them aside

without thought for the one

who comes behind them,

clearing carelessness from the ground

one mask at a time,

her weary frown hidden

behind a mask of her own.

© 2021 Rebecca J. Gomez