Image ain't everything

 


Image Ain't Everything

Original artwork and pensive poem by Kieran Gonsalves (c) 2025

Image is everything, so they say, but is it really?
Billions are spent on marketing campaigns, clearly

Funny thing, the image they sell isn't for real
'Tis in between your ears, elusive, even surreal

Yet here we are, caught in this endless chicanery
Splurging on worthless baubles and wacky finery

Like a mirage in the desert, it stays out of reach
Isn't this daylight robbery not freedom of speech?

So get off the merry-go-round and set yourself free
God made you just as you are; He knows best, agree?

Comments

Anonymous said…
👍so true.... tis the substance not the frivolous form that counts.... (WhatsApp comment from a cousin in Goa)
July 13, 2025 at 7:15 AM
Kieran said…
The role of social influencers is so arbitrary … it has gone underground with many leading double lives but unable to separate the online avatar from reality. - Kieran
July 13, 2025 at 7:15 AM
Anonymous said…
.....but then what is the joy and purpose in life if you are living a masquerade existence ? (Reply to above comment also on WhatsApp)
July 13, 2025 at 7:16 AM
Kieran said…
It is their claim for fame. Many so called artists, actors/actresses even politicians get their validation from their screen persona and live that life
Did you see a movie called Fedora? A glamorous Hollywood actress starts aging but loses her beauty when some treatment goes wrong - she becomes reclusive but when her daughter comes of age she gets her daughter to proxy for her - Kieran
July 13, 2025 at 7:16 AM
Anonymous said…
Yes, I remember that movie ....where she becomes so obsessive re-living her image through her daughter that the daughter gets crazy trapped in her mother's personna and commits suicide (or was she killed by Fedora ?)to free herself .I remember a particularly poignant scene when the daughter trapped in her isolated room trying to cling to her own identity was writing her name on the rain water condensation on the window. (Reply to the above comment also on WhatsApp)
July 13, 2025 at 7:17 AM
Kieran said…
Quite right.

This according to Chatgpt

Fedora (1978) – Short Summary:

In this mystery-drama directed by Billy Wilder, aging Hollywood producer Barry "Dutch" Detweiler travels to Europe to convince the legendary, reclusive actress Fedora to star in a new film. Despite decades passing, Fedora appears mysteriously youthful. Dutch soon discovers that something is terribly wrong—Fedora is being closely guarded, seems unstable, and is eventually reported to have died by suicide.

At her funeral, the shocking truth is revealed: the woman the world believed to be Fedora was actually her daughter, Antonia, who had been impersonating her mother for years after the real Fedora became disfigured. Trapped by fame and obsession with youth, Antonia's life unravels, leading to her tragic end. - Kieran
July 13, 2025 at 7:17 AM
Anonymous said…
I agree 👍 (WhatsApp comment from a dear cousin in Goa)
July 13, 2025 at 7:17 AM
Kieran said…
You, my dear, always had this figured out. Hats off to you 🫡 - Kieran
July 13, 2025 at 7:18 AM
Anonymous said…
💯 (WhatsApp comment from a dear relative in Mumbai)
July 13, 2025 at 8:54 AM
Kieran said…
Funny thing, I posted this to my MBA classmate alumni group- where a large number spent a lifetime in Marketing. There was deafening silence 🤐 🤔 - Kieran
July 13, 2025 at 8:54 AM
Anonymous said…
Hahaha, not surprising I'd say🤔 (Reply to above comment also on WhatsApp)
July 13, 2025 at 8:55 AM
Anonymous said…
Thanks for sharing your art and thoughts, Kieran - very much appreciated! (WhatsApp comment from a dear childhood friend)
July 13, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Kieran said…
The artwork was an attempt at Abstraction with unreal colours. It turned out a bit like Harlequin which promoted the cynical poem. Glad you liked it - Kieran
July 13, 2025 at 11:36 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Blue Bird

Image
My homage to Azulejos - the striking white and blue ceramic tiles of Portugal.  The name 'azulejos' is derived from the Arabic word 'al zuleique', which means “little polished stone”. The tiles were originally brought to Europe by invading Moors in the 13th century - a style that employs flowing lines, stars, flowers, foliage, fruits and sometimes animal and figural outlines to produce an intricate pattern of interlaced lines that can be tiled in endless combinations.   The art and history of azulejos have left an indelible mark on Portuguese culture and heritage. These vibrant and intricate tiles have adorned buildings, churches, and public spaces for centuries, captivating the eyes and hearts of locals and visitors alike.  The enduring legacy of Portuguese tile-making is a testament to the skill, creativity, and craftsmanship of the artisans who have dedicated themselves to this art form throughout history. This is one of my compositions inspired by a window decal at...
Read more

Pope Leo

Image
  Pope Leo XIV On Thursday, May 8, 2025, the Conclave of 133 Roman Catholic Cardinals elected a new Pope for 1.4 billion faithful, the  267th in the line of Pontiffs that dates back to St Peter, who was handpicked by Jesus Christ himself. [ Matthew 16:18 ] Before he was elected Pope Leo XIV, Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Frost Prevost spent  much of his life outside the United States. Ordained in Rome in 1982 at age 27, he received a doctorate in canon law at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, also in Rome.  For the past two decades he was a missionary in Chilayco, Peru, serving as a parish priest, seminary teacher, and diocesan official.  Here he also became a naturalized citizen, then rose to lead his international religious community, the Order of St. Augustine. Under Pope Francis, he held one of the most influential Vatican posts, running the office that selects and manages bishops globally. His deep connection to Latin America helped him gain a...
Read more

Pentecost

Image
 The Feast of Pentecost Think of the Feast of Pentecost as the first birthday of the Church ... because that's the day the Holy Spirit descended on the Faithful to remain permanently and unfailingly till the end of time, guiding the Faithful to carry the Gospel to the ends of the world as Christ's disciples. Liturgy of the Pentecost In Acts of the Apostles 1:4-8 , the risen Lord Jesus instructed the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit. Jesus explained that they would be baptised with the Holy Spirit not many days from now (1:5) and they would receive power to be Christ’s witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the Earth (1:8). In Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11 , St Luke, the author of Acts of the Apostles, methodically lists all the nations encircling Israel starting from the East to the West to show Jews from every nation had gathered (probably for the Festival of Harvest ) when th...
Read more