Pearls before Lovers

We’re masquerading, but

my sequins scatter

I’m coming undone

My petticoats are pinching

The chemise is clinging

I scrub at my

painted smile

It’s smeared

This corset

cracks my ribs

Your cravat looks tight, darling

Let me loosen it

with my teeth

Let’s slip into the chilled night

before the satin suffocates

Find an acove

tangled in lilacs, where I can

touch your face

Let our eyes waltz, before

our lips tango

Shed your

silk gloves, and

undo my bodice

Forget your etiquette

Let your hands roam

While we wait for all the

pearls and pocket watches

to clear the ballroom

We’ll only stay out

until the moon sets

Then we’ll twirl

across the empty

Spanish tile

The ceiling soars while

our shoes whisper

No stars inside, but

my tears will shimmer

for us

Wipe them for me, dearest

But don’t ask where they’re from