Unmasked Poem by Sonya Annita Song

I cannot claim I do not know
The reason why your tears now flow
In twin cascades
With no blockades,
No longer fit for masquerades.
I saw you standing gracefully,
Behind the curtains;
Pleadingly, onto his arms
You tried to clasp
While he stepped back
Out of your grasp.
I blushed,
Although you could not see,
The curtains hid your view of me,
But when a sob escaped your lips,
I felt my heart
Would tear in strips.
You turned, a swan,
Your mask askew,
Your lovely plume a wintry hue,
And moved as if to
Fly away,
But here I grabbed your hand.
'Please stay, '
I whispered softly in your ear,
And though there was a glint of fear,
You came to me and wept your pain
Upon my poor,
Weak shoulder frame.
I never thought I'd ever be
A knight,
Though costumed carefully,
But when I saw your glistening grace,
The knight within
Unmasked his face.