by Sara Junkins '23 on October 6, 2022
Portfolio Staff

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Poetry

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Step right up.

Which hat will you put on today?

All are made in the old-fashioned way,

An eternal quality each does hold,

Passed down from times of old.

Those who wore them

Were no different from

You or I,

So what do you say,

Do you dare try—

To don or not,

That is the question.

Ribbons of mercury dance

As imperceptible perfume

Seeping into the bonnets,

Snaking between the vibrant rows

Of peacock plumes and glitzy gauze,

Lavish lace et cher chiffon…

Shimmering.

Beguiling.

Glorious to behold

Through the hypnotic haze.

Nothing new under the moon,

Hats that will make you swoon,

Yet you should think twice,

Beware the real price…

Sold in the style of slander,

Accessorized with accusation,

Gossip guised

Behind jaw-dropping gems.

Spinning silk stories

Of artifice

Yet speaker nor subject

Receive any glory.

Destructive diadems

Demolishing identities,

Intoxicating us

With words of death.

Mad as hatters,

We pour poison

Into the porcelain

Placed around the table.

As host,

We implore

“Drink and see,”

When one inquires

“What’s the tea?”