Oh, the beloved Face Mask!

By Punya Heendeniya

When Covid-19 declared war without ammunition in 2020, you the beloved Face Mask elevated yourself to the upper echelons of the human body, without any effort. Since then, you have managed to stay there.

Earlier you were only found on the faces of the surgeons in hospital operating theatres. Also, in the opulent theatres where masquerades were held. There you come even now in different shapes and colours, patterns and prints. Some are glittery, some scary, some grotesque, some risqué. Whatever the form you may appear in, you give anonymity to the wearer as the revelry demands.

In the case of Covid protection, you appear in various colours, shapes and prints. Most popular colour is blue. Some people consider you as a necessary evil and some consider you as an item of goodwill. During this problematic period when the world is trying to straighten up the falling economy, you are trying the raise your head as a mini business entrepreneur, by producing masks to the masses.

Now that you have come to stay as a permanent feature of our living. The babies born to Covid era, in growing up, will begin to think that you are an essential commodity of life as important as their pull-up diapers.

We respect your egalitarianism and you are omnipresent. You do not discriminate between the affluent and the needy. An outgoing President flicked you to a side to deliver his valedictory promise. Whereas an incoming President flicked you to a side to swear in his oath.

So far so good, you behave very well on the faces of fair and swarthy, old and young, men and women, boys and girls, doctors and nurses. You come in various forms as disposables and washables. We look round to the North and South, East and West, Up and Down, you are there attached on to the faces like a leech that cannot be got rid of. At times you become a little mulish and slips down the face and in trying to adjust, you give a scarlet hue to the ear lobes with a twang of the elastics. You steam up the spectacles but cover up the wrinkles and gapped teeth to the glory of vanity. Cosmetic world is not happy with you, as the sale of lipsticks has fallen.

However much you have become a part and parcel of our lives, the whole world is looking forward for the day where we can say, “fare thee well” the beloved mask. We look forward for the day to breathe in the fresh air freely without getting our spectacles steamed up, to meet the family without any restrictions, hug the grandchildren, and sit at a meal together.

We will stand up together and say, “Thank you Oh, the beloved Face Mask for the services rendered”.