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