A Valentine in Crayons

As the masque went on Sehnsucht was seen to change
His Nordic cowl for Milanese lozenges,
Playing the clown Fiasco. And I mean
He was funny. Butterfingers, stumblebum,
False feet in gum, bloom of the incomplete.
Given a moment more, one thought of a vase
Fallen to smithereens before having held
Queen Anne’s lace or even the water for Queen Anne’s lace.
And this would have made for pity; nay, it welled
In many a heart before the pink past-master
Could in a single sublime huff disperse
Those wan nosegays, white pollen on the floors
Of dressing-rooms, or turned to paste in water,
The moon face patted rigid as it dries.