Welcome to the masquerade,
the gowns crafted and handmade,
with not a thread in sight frayed,
the beautiful on parade

Don your chosen ornate mask,
in the revelers, come bask,
drink from the gold-laden cask,
but for truth, don't you dare ask

All of this is perfection,
enjoy the scripted action,
and those who play the motion,
anything else, you can shun

Here, we can all hide away,
drink your drink and dance and sway,
while a few slip off to play,
but be careful what you say

Here, people know what they want,
the beau or the debutante,
to be on display and flaunt,
away from the real, a jaunt

In pretend, real matters not,
the real is simply too fraught,
so stay and enjoy the plot,
learn the lesson being taught

Keep yourself contrived and curt,
dare not bring them discomfort,
intensity, they avert,
hold it within, all covert

Hide away your fear and joy,
the love you feel, a mere toy,
all of this is just a ploy,
it's far better to be coy

Just go with the fairytale,
embrace the pretend and frail,
keep yourself behind the veil,
keep the sham, and you can't fail

The masks are prepared and made,
play your part and make the grade,
ignore the rest, let it fade,
this whole world, the masquerade