A. R. Dugan
Men’s eyes were made to look;
and let them gaze.
–Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
I can play
all these people
If I apply the clown one
with red polka dot cheeks
(this is only painted on)
I can entertain you
If I don
the phallic-nosed mask
like in Eyes Wide Shut
I can enter you
If I choose an old-school super hero
that only covers the places around my eyes
I can show me
to you
just a little bit
like good lingerie
which is what this is all
really about
How much do you need to know
to make a bad decision
How much don’t you need to know
to think things are going just fine
How long before you wear
Janus’s mask (your last)
You can see
both ways
in your mirror
oft in your hand
How long before we share
Two heads in one case
One visage
no face
***
A. R. Dugan has an MFA in creative writing from Emerson College and lives in Boston. He reads poetry for Ploughshares. His poetry can be seen or is forthcoming in a number of literary magazines and reviews, most recently Sweet, where his poem “Milk Thistle” was a contest finalist. Finishing Line Press will publish his chapbook, Call / Response, in March. He taught high school English in southeastern Massachusetts for nine years. A. R. currently teaches literature and writing at Emerson College and Wheaton College.