The mask was hard to see through. After countless drinks between songs, I could barely see the guests' masks as I spun and twirled amongst them, strumming my lute. All they were were fake smiles, nothing more.   I spun to face the king and queen, all dressed in icy blue. They lifted their glasses to me as I skipped towards them, singing the tale of their kingdom’s glory. I danced around their thrones, hearing their laughter and giggles as true, triumphant smiles graced their faces. I bowed to...

Her whispers made my ears hurt. I turned over, throwing an arm over the woman who shared my bed. She turned over too, a soft smile gracing her sleeping face, just as I remembered, just like the first time I met her.  The sleepiness subsided as my vision focused on the girl in front of me; it wasn’t HER. The woman in front of me didn’t have the same bright sparkle as her, didn’t have the eyes that saw through to my soul when I first met her, and didn’t have the same expressive face when she...

We stood amongst the graves on the summer's day  looking at one another  In silence  In stillness As the dead watched us and the words that remained unsaid Maybe it was the way the sun laid  effortlessly across your face that I fell into your embrace  with arms so strong  and hands so soft You took my heart  and wrapped it in cloth  The name I called out longingly which tasted so sweet begrudgingly fell numb and cold  As I tried to call your name  no longer felt the same  no other name or...