The Art of Pretending
Under satin sheets we weave illusion clear,
Each breath rehearsed to sound like genuine sighs.We don our masks while hidden doubts draw near,
Concealing tears that glisten in our eyes.
We craft our laughter, polished, never cracked,A currency we borrow, then must spend.Yet in those staged embraces, hearts are sacked,
And fragile trust dissolves before the end.
The candle’s glow betrays each artful lie,
Its shadows dance on walls we barely know.We kiss as if our vows will never die,
Then watch them fade like embers in the snow.
Your whispered “love” rings hollow on my skin,A silk chord unstrung by careless hands.I answer “mine” though emptiness beginsTo claim the space where once our passion planned.
We trace the map of pleasure’s fleeting reign,
Igniting sparks we know will burn too fast.Yet even brief combustion leaves its stain,
And memory’s embers linger to the last.
When dawn pries on our delicate charade,
Exposing cracks in smiles once tightly wound,
We fold our roles beneath the light of day,
And leave our castaways of truth unbound.
Each night we barter passion for a thrill,
Your fingers ghosting where devotion slept.I play along, reciting lines untilThe aching quiet forces tears unswept.
Let us descend this stage of sweet pretense,
Remove the veil, reveal the scars beneath.For truth may drench our bones in consequence,
Yet free our captive souls from cunning wreathe.
So end this play where love’s display turns red,
Where actors bow and exit through the door.I’ll keep the lessons that these lies have bred,
Then walk unmasked, unbound, to lie no more.