Greasepaint is a loyal friend,
the mask he dons for work each day.
His teeth show what a smile portrays,
a wink hides what no one can mend.
Words are traitors, let them go
play in another's paradise;
expression lies in hands and eyes,
no truth to tell, on with the show.
Author notes
We're actors - we're the opposite of people.
Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (1967)
A contest entry
- Mimes by Yemassee.
653 points, ended February 23, 2009, 18 entries
Bronze trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Thank you for reading.
Comments
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well done
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Thanks for your kind applause.
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When we let go of masks ...
we become who we are destined to be. And then we never again need to cover ourselves in veils.
Congratulations on your trophy, Friend!
Love
Myra
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Thank you Sweetheart! We are all Seen, there is no hiding, and no dishonour in our humanity.
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a masterful verse that touches deep within the psyche, bringing up all the patterns of compensation, denial and escape - if we are willing to gaze ...
congratulations on the brown cup, it is well deserved ...
marion
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Thanks marion! The beauty of poetry is the way one thing stands for another.
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I have been busy to excess
with hardly time to breathe
but herald here your success
with truths that you bequeath
Saddest of all a wide smile
below eyes about to cry.
Terry
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Thank you Terry! It was a pleasant surprise to come back and see a trophy here.
I hope all is well where you are, and you can see spring on the way.
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I have a confession: I read this and then went to the contest to see th prompt and got lost in my own writing. I am just now coming back here.
I have missed your writing.
As for the poem -
When an actor knows his craft he can create a character so believable the line between them is blurred. Is the character a side of the actor coming through? Or, perhaps it is who he wishes to be. Or it could just be an act.
The wink - I like the wink, it makes the viewer a part of the conspiracy.
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I watched the movie. It was interesting. I definitely saw that it was influenced by "Waiting For Godot."
My old friend Bonko the clown understands this poem. He never talks much and hides behind greasepaint, even when not performing. It was always my little way of showing his insecurity, etc.
I still trust words. I'm sure I've been luckier than you. So far people have never lied that much to me. And when they have, it was easily within the parameters of forgiveness. And maybe I have been lied to, but by people I don't really care whether they lied or not. Who knows.
But yes, I carry a jar of greasepaint. There are days I don't want to show what ever feelings I may own, but more likely I just don't want people to see who I really am. After-all what is Yemassee but a clown mask.
Excellent Margaret.
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Thank you for the interesting contest, I am happy you like my approach to the silence of the mime. Thank you as well for your astute interpretation and the trophy, Mayne. It was a pleasant surprise after a week's holiday.
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I have to agree with ...
pixiestix - your poem has so many levels that depending on the 'mime' one is in when they read it, your thoughts leave one to further pondering. I read this poem probably twice yesterday but felt I had to come back to it again. It's amazing how it trips the brain to open to different thoughts! So glad that I wasn't the only one that thought this!
Therefore it has the quality, for me, of an enjoyable read!
j
y
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Thank you Joy! The wonderful thing about a metaphor is the applications that people find all on their own. If we keep the literal idea clear, then it opens to the various heights and depths the reader is capable of.
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I've read your piece a couple times and each time I do my eyes discover something more.
The eyes always hold the key and when it comes to actors, the good ones anyway, they are able to be convincing and have us believing their story, their character emotion. The actors on stage or in film are easily identified in their role play. It's another tale entirely if our paths cross with them in life for the greasepaint is securely stashed in a jar in their pocket.
This is quite good and leaves me still thinking about other possible interpretations.
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Thanks for your kind comment!
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Your conclusion "no truth to tell, on with the show" is spot on, once the greasepaint is in place, the vow of silence is paramount in this silent profession, but read the facial expression, it reveals all. Excellent pen!
love and blessings, Sandi
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Thank you dear Sandi. If we regard it as a play, we can retain some sense of authenticity to share where we feel at home. Truth is a matter of interpretation at the best of times, though there are some who will argue that their perception is THE TRUTH.
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Yes, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
Received the rawest deal from Bill
Removed them from the plot, until
Their death's reported. Thus we learn
That acting is a lot like life
We're often conned into a part
Which isn't really in our heart
And leads to unreported strife.
Poor Rosenstern and Guildencrantz
They only tried to do their best
At least Tom Stoppard was impressed
And left them with heroic stance?
I saw the play in the 60's: must have been 67 or 68 -I was still at school, I think. It left a lasting impression on a teenage mind. I remember the coin-tossing best, the sense of being caught up in a fate over which you had no control. Powerful stuff. Thanks for the memories. Very clever little poem.
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There is an excellent film of it with Gary Oldman, Tim Roth and Richard Dreyfuss made by Tom Stoppard in 2005, available on DVD.
I'm glad you like the poem.
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Concise and meaningful, Margaret.
Re Stoppard's line: If actors are the opposite
of people, those who write the actors' lines
or choreograph their actions might also
fall in that opposite category!!
M-C
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Stoppard's play is very interesting and a great favorite in my family. This line is spoken by one of the actors whom Prince Hamlet hires to trap his uncle in his conscience. In the play actors are playing actors playing roles, and the playwright is the head of their hierarchy of artifice... Thanks for your thoughts and applause.
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I remember the confusion as to who is who,
identities and characteristics changing frequently!
Ah, but if acted by mimes, the actions, not the words
would be what mattered! -
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Shakespeare wrote that confusion into Hamlet, it seems, or it appeared after Stoppard's play. Claudius addresses Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and then Gertrude readdresses them as Guildenstern and Rosencrantz. They are much alike.
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