Pretty Masks [Poetry]

Everything beautiful I want to devour
Rose-coloured glasses are a myth
My eyes see, want and adore
Anything and everything pretty
Their form, shape and colour
Pleasing to my senses
Ugliness, an unfamiliar concept
Therefore non-existent

Until the years pass
And I care less for lovely or perfect
As the unlikable and complex slither in
Like a creepy thief in the night
Assaulting my senses
Uncovering the mask of pretty
And revealing the lies and unruly
A pain ripping through my guts

An aching emptiness opens my eyes
To the ugly truth hidden under creamy, yellow roses
The pursuit of decadent pleasures
By the entitled sect, far and near
Without regard for the unworldly few
Quiet, free and unsuspecting
Their life force fueling the amoral
Right beneath that mask of beauty

Away with the cloak of deception!
Petals of crushed roses rain down in a flurry
The beauty all but gone in a blink
Dark, gross and totally unpleasing
The true nature unveiled to every eye
Disillusion births cynicism
Where once beauty held my breath
Stark reality grounds my feet
In an unending journey.

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