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After the ball
A simple mask shimmers
In the confetti strewn
Across the banquet room
The floor’s ablaze
With the mazes of hidden love
And intrigue’s curse
A bard’s melodious verse
Might sing of the mystery
Of this mask’s recent history
Before the last shadows of the night’s revelry
Have dispersed

And behind its veil
Was a lover hiding or a tease
Or something else instead?
A momentary potential
Swept across the dance floor swirling
The webs of history curling
As though to capture such a will’o’the wisp
With a song or a touch or a kiss
What is there to say for it all
After the ball?

(c) Helen Valentina 2020