This is the second in the White Fire Series of poems. To read more, click the red button below.
I once wore a mask
I once wore a mask
hell, most of the time
saying "all’s ok"
and "everything is fine"
set the fork to the left
and knife to the right
hold the glass by the stem
keep my words airtight
when just below the surface
i was breaking apart
trying not scream
with a muffle on my heart
I once wore a mask
a shock and a fright,
the black stench of war
twice in one night
the siren had sounded
and told to vacate
to not take the lift
to the fifth floor escape
I remembered to pick up
the box with the strap
that contained a syringe
a survival map
if the warhead was loaded with
chemicals to kill
they gave me a needle
- not even a pill
when they gave us the word
had to puncture my skin
and inject my vein
with some anti-pathogen
of unknown origins
and unknown name
the mask made of rubber
stretched tight on my face
it muted my mouth
metal filter in place
to cleanse the air
of all infection
speaking with eyes
my only connection
the radio babbled hysterically
I hadn’t a clue what to believe
didn’t know the language
like a foreign band
singing with passion
but I didn’t understand
one word they said
not
one
single
word
(all I knew
was how to say
"shut up you worm"
... that’s my mistake)
in a room on the fifth floor full of strangers
and a baby on the carpet in a plastic tent,
wet towels ‘round the door,
sat awkwardly,
thoughts of my life flashing towards the end
listen out for the sound of danger
flying bombs in the midnight sky
was this the end of my adventure
not the way to say goodbye
blown up
smashed up
trapped inside
a broken building
but what would they find
what would they find
would they find me
in time
if,
against my will
I had to meet death
on some unknown hill
Listen
Words and voice by Suzy Starlite. Recorded by Simon Campbell at the Supertone SonicLab. ℗ © Supertone Records, 2025.
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