LIFE ON MARS

Trespassing beyond the barrier
in a stately home. I'd long been hankering
to touch, to experience the savoir vivre
of life for the privileged few.

A solid oak door before me.
It's four snarling lion head carvings,
with their spiteful-looking elongated fangs,
seemed to issue a dire warning to the uninvited.

So did I take heed? Red rag to proverbial bull!
Sudden rush of childlike audacity. I gripped the handle,
while convincing myself of a clear conscience. Well,
I had parted with a small fortune for the entry ticket, hadn't I?

The door creaked open and I was enveloped in the sweet fragrance of pot-pourri,
while exquisite objets d'art and intricate tapestries delighted the eye.
I argued that these hidden treasures my phone was recording
would be a wondrous revelation for all my fellow commoners.

However, the eyes that stared out of old portraits on the walls
were distinctly hostile at this unauthorized intrusion
into their descendants' lives. Approaching footsteps,
quick and light, from the other side of far door.

Then two girls burst in, engrossed in their hushed conversation.
They half-danced, half-skipped across the room
in their pink and cerise silk dresses, giggling
and discussing a foreign Prince they'd danced with the night before.

Fortunately, they failed to notice the interloper concealed among the marble statues,
where she stood stock-still in sheer terror of discovery.
Rooted to the spot and with pounding heart, I hardly dared breathe.
By the time they left, I practically collapsed with relief.

I honestly can't remember how I escaped from that room.
But I still wince at the memory of how unwelcome and inferior I felt
amid such opulence. It was as if I'd strayed into another world...
a lot like living on Mars.