Halls of the Dark Muse

Masquerade

Her eyes watched
from behind the mask
while the music played
from somewhere far away

Drawn by the song
she drifted away,
leaving a trail of feathers
in her wake

Ascending each marble
step within the spiral,
alone but for the burning flame,
hidden away in the shadows

She accelerates with each
stroke that beckons and guides
her way; heart beating faster
for fear the silence will come
before she uncovers the mistro

Images dance within her head
lust and love clashing together,
cloaked behind crimson curtains
draping along dark windows

A moment that stretches on
beyond time; lost within the maze,
dazzled by each new disguise
which passes over watching eyes

Her fingers slide along
the wall which undulates
before the fall of the melody

A keystroke rings the chime
of a clock; the witching hour
struck its final tune and
there the costumes fall away

A dream that shimmers
to unravel and beneath
the veil reveals the truth
which falls like a hammer
of a heartbeat

Yet there remains
upon the floor a fallen
mask and a few floating
feathers bejeweled in black
pearls and ribbons of silk.