In many cultures throughout the world, a judge wore a mask to protect him from future recriminations. In this instance, the mask represents a traditionally sanctioned spirit from the past who assumes responsibility for the decision levied on the culprit.
— from an article in the Encyclopedia Britannica
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sunglasses may be worn
by a poker player or peace officer
to conceal their glances, their tells,
eyes grown wide in pleasure or surprise.
Judges may hide their faces
from the people they judge.
Fear of recrimination, they say, or maybe
it’s performative impartiality;
there’s a reason
Justice is shown blindfolded,
though we assume these days
that Justice has always cheated
and peeked at who is to be judged
before going to verdict; likewise,
riot cop helmets are there
for saving face as much as for
any other reason. There are reasons
executioners wore hoods.
There are reasons the condemned
wear them too.
Plague doctors strolled,
flower beaked and fantastic,
through the streets of
cadaver cities into
popular misunderstanding —
they weren’t medieval,
they weren’t trying to scare
diseases away; they were trying
to save themselves. But
they look good to us now
as we mask up and creep
our own half-empty streets,
thinking they could
lend some elegance
to the fear
we are wading through,
seeking some spirit from the past
to inform us about the spirit
threatening us: not only the sickness
but the now-unmasked dangerous men;
the judges,
their rogues,
their hired and self-appointed
killers.
