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peterdawes β From Behind the Looking Glass
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Published: 2008-04-05 00:38:34 +0000 UTC; Views: 315; Favourites: 7; Downloads: 5
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Description
i have been, forevermore, the great deceiverthe charlatan with painted smile
the ruse that conceals the actuality
of existential chaos
deep within a silent heart
the actor in the leading role
the being wearing robes
with the air of apathy as a costume
upon his slumped shoulders
and slender frame
the one who parades a sentiment
meant to stop the eye from wandering
and assure the most curious gaze
of inquisitors who might see through
the layers of masks upon him
asking questions as though
they possess any meaning
issuing statements of cloak and dagger
lest the absent reflection come forth
and show him for what he is
what is one man's truth
but another's falsehood?
hidden behind layers of poets and prophets
philosophers of days gone by
musing upon riddles without end
what is one man's happiness
but another's misery?
attempting to issue the spin
and turn the coin around
before you see through the magic trick
what is truth?
how horribly objective of you to ask.
truth surmised past smoke and mirrors
would sound too much like confession
and he cannot permit you to know
that he has been, forevermore, the great deceiver
the crooked smile a borrowed sentiment
the marionette upon a string
performing so that none will see
his sullen, lying eyes staring back at them
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Comments: 15
"Oh yes, I'm the great, pretender"... A well spoken sentiment.
k
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excellent as always. definitely going on my favorites
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Ahhh..The ever present facade we all wear at some point in time..I must confess I hide behind a large wall most of the time and only allow people to see what I want them to..Some get a little more, others alot less..To me who I am is only shared to those who care enough to get behind my facade...Wonderfully wrote as always..
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Thank you, my dear. I play the part of deceiver quite a bit with the best laid of intentions. To be what I must for when I must. It all becomes a bit taxing for us all, albeit necessary at times.
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Jaded moping. 
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Thank you kindly.
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OOOOOHHHHHHH the 2nd last and last stanz's are me favs !!!!!!!! 
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why your welcome
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::sighs:::I do not know why...but I have this vision of Piacchi.
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Leonie, I adore your comments. You always broaden my horizons. Tell me about this vision of Piacchi.
Thank you for the favorite.
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Okay first....It is Pagliacci...the opera...NOT the composer Piacchi. ::groans and sniffs like Leonie:: If only the whole world spoke French!
Anyway...very simply...it is a story about a jealous husband which ends in tragedy.
It is a play within a play, its message being, more or less, that life parallels art, i.e., the actor, though clad in motley and tinsel, is a but a man with a heart like his auditor; a man with the same passions, the same capacity for gladness and sorrow, the same broad heaven above him and the same wide lonely world before him. The characters play duel roles, and their character mirrors their real life situations. The audience...is witness to both the play...and then to the real life tragedy.
Thou art not a man, thouβrt but a jester!
On with the motley, and the paint, and the powder!
The people pay thee, and want their laugh, you know!
If Harlequin thy Columbine has stolen, laugh Punchinello!
The world will cry, "Bravo!"
Enrico Caruso, Mario Lanza, Pavrotti...have all played the role of Pagliacci.
[link]
::laughs::I am sure you were not thinking on these lines, but it sprang to my undisciplined mind.
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It is certainly true to the sentiment. As I said, I quite enjoy your insights and references. This sounds like a delightful opera.
Have not been back to the opera in years. We saw one opera together, but our days came to an abrupt end shortly thereafter. It was a pleasant experience, though. She looked absolutely stunning that evening. I barely paid attention to the opera.
My apologies. I just woke and I am engaging in wistful rambling.
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::smiles::What a tribute to her!
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