Lifted Veil

Bow-tied bouquets
begin to wilt
as ribbon edges fray,
but they weren't built
to withstand this day.

Guilty girls wear
celebrated gowns
and mimicked lack of care,
intending to drown
secrets they bear.

Stumbling words drip
a poison of truth
across his trembling lips,
the barren fruit
of trust's last eclipse.

The enlightened one
pales beneath lace
mourning all that's now gone;
betrayed betrothal
a dream's come undone.