October 22, 2021– Have you picked out your Halloween costume yet? We have! We can’t wait to facetime with the kids and see their costumes too. Halloween is my most favourite day of the year, and I think it’s because it’s the chance to play with outrageous makeup, dress up, and take on an entirely new persona.
There’s a quote that says, “Give a man a mask, and he becomes his true self.” I think the Joker said that, but the original (similar) quote was by Oscar Wilde. What does hiding behind a mask do for our true selves? I’m not talking about pandemic masks; I’m talking about the masks that we show the world on a daily basis. Do people ever know who we really are? Or are we only showing them who we want them to think we are? Why do we do this? Perhaps it’s a protective response-we don’t want to give too much of ourselves away, or maybe it’s because we don’t know who we are to begin with? Everyone has their own answer.
A couple of years ago, I was fortunate enough to be in New York City for work, and I decided to see a play. I chose Phantom of the Opera at the Majestic Theatre and excitedly took my seat before the show started. I had a few minutes to absorb the magnificent surroundings and take it all in. It was absolutely stunning! Then internal dialogue took over as I stared at the mask on the playbill; hidden identity, obsession, torture, longing, and injustice were all words that came to mind. For today’s challenge, I’m asking you to do the same.
Look at the photo prompt above and write down all of the words that come to mind, be careful not to edit your stream of thought; get the words on the page. After that, write a short story or poem using all of the words. It can be as long or as short as you’d like.
Happy writing, and as usual, if you’d like to submit your work for consideration, please send us an email at pandapublishing8@gmail.com.