“Masquerade” by Laurie Frisbey

I reveal the parts

I want you to see
you think you know me

masquerade

ugly thoughts inside my head
mourning at the side

of a haunted bed

empty womb
hands of red

masquerade

I smile as though I had never thought
fondly of death

like an old friend

do you wonder what names
have escaped my lips

in screaming fits?

God fills the darkest places
no confusion of names or faces

masquerade

it penetrates my skin
the electric heat of your hands
there’s no mistaking it

is there?

you don’t know
masquerade is what I do

you count my lovers

(demons?)

on one hand
I count them on two
how can you tell if I love you?

masquerade

love, like hate, is a state of mind
at a point in time
tomorrow is another day
the song will play

the brightest stars are sure to fade
as will you, with time

but I smile

and say I’ll love you forever
you’ll always be mine

I masquerade because I know
in the end, you’ll be the one to go.

Laurie Frisbey is a writer from Brewer, Maine. Her first published piece recently appeared in the “Write Like You’re Alive 2016” anthology published by Zoetic Press. She has blogged for the Bangor Daily News, but currently maintains her own blog and shares her work at LaurieFrisbey.com.

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