Mask Inventory

Toronto subway system, Saturday night, April 2022

Blue paper mask
White fabric mask

Black fabric Def Leppard mask
Exposed mouth and nose
Blue paper around neck
Small exposed mouth
Black fabric with sequins
Blue paper nuzzling against Black fabric with sequins
White fabric sagging
Exposed lipsticked mouth
Small exposed mouth screaming
Exposed mouth with nose ring
Small exposed mouth chewing ear of plush Hello Kitty
Floral paisley fabric chastising small exposed mouth
Black fabric Def Leppard shifting anxiously

Blue paper mask
White fabric mask

S.M. Tsai spent many years doing archival research and writing, then turned to 9-5 jobs for a new learning environment. She is Canadian and her poetry appears in Ricepaper Magazine, Blue Unicorn, and Bones.