Am I not a mime, for the world sees none of my crimes; my promises are all fibs in disguise.
Alas, I'm a coward; mustn't let my truth hover.
Tell me, will they not have me shattered if I bare my minds true platter.
Now ofcourse, I shall continue my facade for I crave their belaud.
Once I got my dad's album
Almost in all snaps, I found
A girl standing close to him
Always in a masquerade
An urge grew to know who she's
When I asked my dad the same,
"She's there," he said, showing mom.
Seven By Seven Poetry Contest
Nette Onclaud
1/24/2026
Night Sea Masquerade
the moon takes on a new form
on water closing her mouth
their imposing other tides
she's a belle over the sea
her shadow bulges in waves
at night you never can tell
wringing audience, ringing
*edited the title after contest
"she" is not me for this subject matter
Carneval in Spain? Big thing.
Break out your shiniest bling.
Both I and my friend Seamus
are sure they’ll never name us
‘rey momo’ – that’s ‘pagan king’.
We dress up and dance. The sting?
They make fun of the famous.
Vanilla scented half-face.
Nails pointed, gold filigree.
Wild flicker waltzed in jade eyes.
Red and gold diamonds in
his Columbina Rombi.
Virtuous and robust curves;
shadows flicker discontent.
Tonight, I wonder who said,
"Life is like a masquerade"
as I consider the masks
covering all the faces
of all the friends and lovers
through the years, just now seeing
those masks are self-reflections.
As I walk out into the world today
I hide the pain on my face
In its place is a smile with the heart of a child
So innocent, sensitive and sweet
Wanting to love and be loved from the crown of my head
To the soles of my feet
But the pain of the past got me caged up inside
I feel like I’m losing myself and I just need to hide
God has taken over and this bondage can’t abide
No one knows that I rarely smiled as a child
No one knows that I grew into a rose then I was defiled
No one knows how I sometimes oppose teachings of Mother Earth
Then step my haughty feet in the street
To project the same pain and hurt
I’m surprised that God hasn’t returned me to the dirt
I’ve triumphed and overcame
My smile is official
I gladly face the world
Me and all of my issues
The lessons I’ve learned as a child
Have helped me not to be afraid
These blessings make me smile
I don’t have to live my life in a Masquerade
In shadows cast by false pretense,
A friend once close, now lost to sense.
With whispered lies, they played their part,
A dagger aimed straight at my heart.
You sent your words, so vile, so crude,
Yet wore a mask, concealing the rude.
You spun your tales, so sweet, so sly,
But truth unveiled, I learned to cry.
Your laughter masked the pain you sowed,
A friendship turned to heavy load.
But truth has a way of breaking through,
And finally, you confessed what you knew
You tore apart the bonds we shared,
With every word, you showed you cared.
But now I stand, my trust betrayed,
While reputations fade like shade.
The lies unraveled, the facade fell,
Your gross texts revealed a hidden hell.
Now I stand, with lessons learned,
From a friendship scorched, and bridges burned.
Captured by your pageantry
Mask shielded identity
Bewitched my gallantry
Stole my heart anonymously
Such mysterious glamour
Eerie yet intriguing
Speaking to my emptiness
Replacing all my loneliness
Extravagant mystery
Shadowy history
Surreal and dramatic
Ornately enigmatic
Your life a deceptive dance
Role played romance
Cloaked intentions
And social masks
Lavishly concealed
Make your backroom deals
Trading hearts like tokens
With words softly spoken
The masquerade illusion
The ultimate confusion
Love but allusion
Self-serving inclusion
Bitter truth unveiled
Torn landscape surveilled
Love’s victim impaled
Your manifesto nailed
To my soul
The sky was draped in night’s black cloak,
With a sprinkle of white specks in bloom.
The yellow moon slipped into a gibbous cocoon,
As sunshine fretted in crescent-shaped kites.
But the streets today were painted in bright colours—
They cloaked the rainbow in a toga of envy.
Many danced and sang in melodious harmony,
Dressed like masquerades with neither masks nor veils.
The clouds were clear and gleamed with a faint glow,
Since the last drop of rain they’d stored was in October.
It was the music, played on hand-held instruments,
That shook off harmattan’s dryness from trees and grasses.
"This carnival is like no other,"
A lady in red and white whispered to her husband.
They, like many others, had traveled from far and wide,
To sway their hips and jiggle their feet to Motherland Africa.
The hordes of strange faces mingled with local ones—
Each year, new loves are sparked, and babies are born.
Many a mulatto grows with one half of their roots in photos,
Yet every year brings memories sweet and strong.
Pulling me into your universe
Holding me hostage there
Only surviving as caged bird
Teal feathers float in despair
Onyx smile still haunts now
Grateful for future green days
Raping my heart the silver sound
A little cliche amethyst masquerade
Painting purple powerful poses
Hostage of your drug overdoses
Oh, your eyes so dry,
Longing for a long cry.
All those fake chortles,
Hollow habits of a mortal.
Someone asking, "How's your day?"
You liberally
Lying with "I'm okay."
Okay is not the word I'd use,
Though it's an excellent excuse
Hiding my aching bruise.
Rotting is what I'd use.
It's my soul's beloved ailment.
No, it's not a bruise,
It's just a mere statement.
Behind a facade of calm, I conceal my pain
A heavy heart, that threatens to remain
The weight of the world, upon my shoulders strong
A burden I bear, while pretending I belong
The mask I wear, a disguise so divine
Conceals the turmoil, that ravages my mind
I feign a smile, to hide the tears I've cried
And whisper "I'm fine", though my heart has died
The anguish I endure, a private, lonely hell
A despair so profound, it echoes, and swells
The pressure builds, the dam is bound to break
Yet still I pretend, for my heart's sake
Oh, the agony of hiding, the weight of the lie
The crushing burden, of a heart that's forced to deny
The pain it feels, the sorrow it holds
A masquerade of despair, that never grows old.
The DNA of Illusion
— is Time
(Thank You, Leon: January, 2025)
Another time, another place…
Beyond the life, in different space,
Where the Sun goes down on the faraway East,
And the Moon rises high above Western feast,
I saw you in a mask made of silver and silk:
Hair is auburn like leaves, skin in driblets of milk,
Soulless eyes, gleaming green – like a moth to the flame
I'm the one who flies straight to burn gladly in vain.
Yes, your visage was spinning the ballroom that night.
I've surrendered to you – with no doubt, with no fight…
In return, at my silly devotions of love,
You just smiled and fled by – swift and light, like a dove.
Morning light woke me up. I suppressed hopeless scream,
Cause' you've fled once again and escaped in a dream.
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