there was something ceremonial

there was a long table
and the president
[of something]
was standing in front of it
i was walking along the length of it
some kind of ceremony

also
there was a speaker
at a college auditorium
i watched him from one side
walked through
watched him from the other side
i held him in reverence
but
by the end of the speech
i was in his light
he could see me
the audience could see me
and
that was somehow right

someone
[interviewer maybe]
was talking with the queen
asking her why she wore girdles
why she didn't just
show herself in all her glory
but
she started telling a story
about her son she lost in the 70s
and
the skin
all along the jaw
of the prince consort
was peeling away in ribbons