Stained Glass Masquerade

We march through life in bright disguise,

Cloaked in satin, gems, and lies.

A masquerade of grand design,

Obscuring souls that barely shine.

This is our stained glass masquerade.

Behind these masks, we hide our shame,

Afraid to show our true-self's name.

We dread the judgment of the crowd,

Desperate to remain unseen, unbowed.

This elaborate stained glass masquerade.

With careful steps, we glide along,

Voices raised in hollow song.

Our laughter echoes, false and shrill,

As we perform this pageant still.

This gilded stained glass masquerade.

But underneath the grand charade,

The truth cannot be long delayed.

The cracks begin to show, unveil

The anguish that we so curtail.

This crumbling stained glass masquerade.

The jeweled gowns, the finery -

All mere trappings, meant to be

A shield against the world's disdain,

A guise to make our failings wane.

This ornate stained glass masquerade.

Yet in these quiet, unguarded moments,

When the music fades, the spell relents,

We glimpse the person we conceal,

And find ourselves compelled to kneel.

This vulnerable stained glass masquerade.

For in that space, devoid of masks,

We face the truth, no longer ask

Why we've constructed this facade -

It's clear we're slaves to our own frauds.

This deceptive stained glass masquerade.

The stained glass vision we uphold

Is brittle, cracked, its story old.

We long to shatter it, be free

Of this elaborate fantasy.

This fractured stained glass masquerade.

To cast aside the gilded robe,

Unveil the truth we long to probe.

To stand exposed, without disguise,

And meet the world with honest eyes.

This unmasked stained glass masquerade.

But fear holds fast, a shackled chain

That keeps us trapped in this refrain.

We cling to safety of the lie,

Unable yet to let it die.

This imprisoning stained glass masquerade.

And so we dance this grand charade,

Our laughter ringing, masquerade

Concealing depths we dare not face,

Trapped in this stained glass hiding place.

This never-ending stained glass masquerade.