Back To Reality (Revised) Poem by Margaret Alice Second

Tried to turn into a different person once - wearing a mask -
but it was too tight; a Fedora accomplished the miracle; with
it on my head I greet colleagues with a jaunty step, add high
heels and I’m Top Cat, for a while transforming as a carefree
human being dancing with a song in her heart - the hat is a
winner, a show-stopper for Dr Jokweni and Winston greets
me with a twinkle in the eye - Thelma and Philip who work
in the foyer and laughed about my purple mask on Casual
Day, jump up and down each time hat & I pass by

Back to reality - oh secret sorrow - a new document waiting
for attention - scared of its abyssal depth, cold, blue waters
yet it’s energy sector strategy; juxtaposition of ice-cold fear
and red hot energy; knowing nothing about it means hours
of research so I might as well be dead; no more playing the
clown; desperately chasing chimeras of oblique words and
opaque technical jargon instead, now sobbing the rhythm
of Olé Guapa, imitating the strange movements of Death
dancing with Renate in Reaper Man by Pratchett while

‘Glaring’ at my noisy non-stop monologue colleague with
‘love-beaming eyes’ - my favourite phrase by lovable William
Topaz McGonagall making me laugh thus alleviating pain of
frustration with the never-ending stream of words flowing from
her lips, visualising her as the main protagonist in the fairytale
Donkeytail; while she’s talking snakes and frogs generate
instead of the shining jewels she is trying to create…

17 October 2013