Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Masquerades


A rafter of turkeys crowd a room 
Like the cover photo of a bestseller 
In an effort to avoid yet another 
Superfluous cliche labeled as a metaphor 
Like a needle that stings to numb the pain
But only dulls my existence 
The truth hurts only when it's spoken
From those who don't know love 
Like the empty heart of an elder
Zambia tribe leader turning boys into men  
Yet in cowardice returned from Mukanda 
Himself uncircumcised




©2012 Anthony Desmond Scott. All Rights Reserved.



for open link night @dVersePoets!
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This poem is greatly inspired by Phyllis Galembo's amazing tribal photography book 'Maske'.
Each year, in Northwest Zambia, village elders select boys aged between seven & thirteen
to participate in the initiation ceremonies and rituals known as 'Mukanda'. When Mukanda 
is complete, they return to the village, which celebrates their transformation from boys into men.





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26 comments:

Claudia said...

i like this a lot...the truth spoken with love is one of the most powerful things...and one of the worst things is if someone tries to teach you something he hasn't learned himself...a coward indeed..

Unknown said...

Damn... this is powerful. I LOVE IT!

"Like the empty heart of an elder
Zambia tribe leader turning boys into men
Yet in cowardice returned from Mukanda
Himself uncircumcised."

Deep man, real deep

Anonymous said...

i like this like "Superfluous cliche labeled as a metaphor "

Maude Lynn said...

What a powerful piece!

Dulçe ♥ said...

Great words and metaphors. A harsh truth can be said in a lot different ways.

Tashtoo said...

If not for hypocrisy would we really value the character of a man? Anthony, this has churned up some powerful reactions, images. My pen finds inspiration on the first hit...and that is why I love OpenLinkNight!

mrs mediocrity said...

The truth hurts only when it's spoken... a powerful line, a nice piece, what we can learn from those we think are wise can be deceiving.

Anonymous said...

Very nice! I love the lines: "The truth hurts only when it's spoken / From those who don't know love". So true. Peace, Linda

Laurie Kolp said...

Thought-provoking piece here... love the opening.

Buddah Moskowitz said...

"Like the empty heart of an elder
Zambia tribe leader turning boys into men
Yet in cowardice returned from Mukanda
Himself uncircumcised"

Bril. Just bril. - Thanks

Indigo Spider said...

Fantastic. My favorite lines are "Superfluous cliche labeled as a metaphor" and "The truth hurts only when it's spoken/From those who don't know love". Truly wonderful job of capturing the hypocrisy of teachers who haven't learned the lessons they try to teach.

Brian Miller said...

The truth hurts only when it's spoken
From those who don't know love
nice bit wrapped around this and the hypocrisy in the end as well...nice one anthony...

Audrey Howitt aka Divalounger said...

Powerful piece about truth!

@AudreyHowitt

Anonymous said...

A lot of interesting turns of phrase here. The twist at the end is a nice touch.

Unknown said...

Twisting and turning and reeling from the last line...enjoyed

Unknown said...

As always, I find your work distlling a moment to its hardest core. This creates an intriguing desire to dig deeper for the meat.

Uneven Stephen said...

Damn. Can't say I know much about the history lesson itself, but this is a powerful piece (as usual, coming from you, lol). So many great lines, but I love "Superfluous cliche labeled as a metaphor". The hypocrisy at the end seems to ring very true, regardless of culture. Great write man.

~L said...

The more I read the more the words came alive... this was very powerful, as Uneven Stephen said... I look forward to reading more of your work!

~L

Jebbi said...

I like how much is in this with so few carefully chosen words...really enjoyed this.

Shashidhar Sharma said...

Its lovely, the openning lines were beautiful and your details about the poetry at the end were enlightening. I enjoyed your perfect ending a lot...

Shashi

ॐ नमः शिवाय
Om Namah Shivaya
http://shadowdancingwithmind.blogspot.com/2012/01/whispers-haiku-on-how-i-write-poetry.html
At Twitter @VerseEveryDay

Anonymous said...

I really enjoyed this! short but meaningful and deep. Keep it up man!

Unknown said...

enjoyed how you put words to the inspiration you describe...compelling write ~ Rose

Arron Shilling said...

its a butt kicker - a pulse racer - and pretty darned neat to boot :)

moondustwriter said...

A mask that covers the truth
excellently conveyed Anthony

hedgewitch said...

Not a line in this that isn't quotable. Rituals are there for a reason.

emmett wheatfall said...

Amazing, stunning, and masterful!! Publish sir, publish!