(Sestina)

His mask
I will remember
More then the light
Glitter
Or distant, looming shadows
Of the masquerade

Costumes of the masquerade
Silver…gold…white and black, matching their mask
Enemies were lurking in the shadows
Its easy to remember…
Friends covered in smiles, and glitter
Naïve friends, dancing/prancing in the light
Laughing with newfound links under the chandelier’s light
everything seemed to pause at the masquerade
when a dazzling blue costume made entirely of glitter
a feathered, extravagant costume, with a deep violet mask
…this I remember…
standing like a statue, frozen, amongst the shadows

ours eyes met, his… dark pools of shadows
I moved away from the light
hoping he wouldn’t follow, he wouldn’t remember
but, it was a masquerade
your identity is hidden in a mask
he couldn’t know who I was, among the party’s lavish glitter

my heart beat faster, as a single sequin of glitter
fell on my shoulder…I keep walking, into the dark shadows
where I couldn’t be seen, but a mask
a speckled violet mask’s beaming light
hit my eyes, serious became the masquerade
I frowned, noticing something in his stance, I called out “I remember”

oh how I remember!
the glitter
of the masquerade
was gone, all that was left was shadows
if I was not careful I would be exposed, cast into the light
there would be nothing to redeem me, nothing to hide behind, not even a mask

I wish I didn’t remember him, or ran from the shadows
but, at that second the glitter didn’t matter, neither did the light
My final seconds at the masquerade…with a single swipe, I thrust to the floor, his mask