POKER FACE

 POKER FACE

This facade, this charade, of boldest masks
You wear for the world, a fragile display,
Is thin ice on a pond, cracked by the weight
Of one slip, one lapse in guarded repose. I never demand, from you of all souls,
False bravery's guise, or feigned resolve,
Nor soothing deceptions to ease my fears.
I've said it before, and say it once more:
All I seek is you—raw, unadorned. Let your defenses fall, roam as you please,
With freedom to be, in truth's open light.
What you've given me, as lover, as kin,
As confidant close—entwined in our bond—
We'll hold through the twists, forever in love,
Connected, enduring, in heartfelt embrace.