Pray be brave musketeer

Confess not our secret, for all time suppress,

Broadcast not a word, nor a whisper I beg,

Drink deep of my love in the hours that remain,

Speak not of our secret, keep secret my name.

Reveal not our love, press your lips to my breast,

Let no words escape from this room or this bed,

A king’s hand awaits me, wherein love is scarce,

I may lay by his side, but my heart lies elsewhere.

Your friends mustn’t know of the love in your heart,

My heart is all yours, but my body is not,

I’m yours until daybreak when my wedding dress waits,

Oh, the crowds and the cheers that will echo ‘til late.

Take care as you rise to slip from my bed,

If you’re caught on the stairs, then the price will be death,

A guillotine blade, a swift dispatch for me,

A musket ball hailstorm at first light for thee.

I am bound by the precepts of breeding and name,

To be wife to a king of great wealth and domain,

But duty and realm have slipped off like a glove,

What I ask you to do, I ask out of love.

Hold me close as the moonlight betrays lover’s bed,

Take your knife, press it hard, thrust it into my breast,

I would far rather die in your arms here tonight,

Pray be brave musketeer, out of love, take my life.
 

© Joseph G Dawson