21.01.2026

Dress Rehearsal

She tried on beauty like armor—
pearls at the throat,
sequins to distract the living.

The mirror never flinched.
It had seen worse disguises.

Beneath the wig and borrowed shine,
time grinned back, patient and unimpressed.
No fear here—only a reminder:
everything fashionable is temporary,
everything honest survives.

We decorate our endings
the way we decorate our beginnings—
with hope, with denial,
with a little glitter to soften the truth.

Still, there’s defiance in her posture.
A refusal to vanish quietly.
If this is the final costume,
she will wear it boldly.

After all,
even bones deserve a night out.

🪶

💫Maggie

The Afterlove Voice 💫