Ballerina

The floating notes
of a piper’s rhapsody
drift unseen into
the blinding glare
of stage lights and watchful eyes.

Stepping to the beat
of graceful precision,
here comes the swift plunge
before the elegant soar
of satin slippers
into the serenade.

The thundering orchestra
fades into an abyssal oblivion
of mournful silence
as the lights go out.

Now,
without that mask,
how will you hide?