Ask What a Mask Would Say to Itself

You breathe, a body curious
To know the body behind us,

To read beyond our obscuring,
To peer into the memories

Of the breathing, pulsing witness.
If you can see all the way in,

Be a moral William Harvey,
Demonstrate how the system works

That foams and circulates the blood,
Then you’ll be able to decide—

Are these words good, these ruddy lines?
We’re not ruddy at all, are we?

Much as we might wish we could breathe,
A lifeless mark at least can’t die.