[Carl Copeland]

Paula, the revision of the second sher muddies the meaning for me. The primary sense is that you can bring someone with you, not that you’re keeping your true love a secret. Here’s my idea:

And bring along your new (+1) inside parentheses.

“New” can be replaced with “dear” or whatever. It would still be a slant rhyme, but nearer, and the extra cleverness would compensate, IMO.

It just occurred to me that you can’t identify one thing from another. How about “to separate foe from friend”?

[Roger Slater]

Carl, when you say "plus one" instead of specifying a particular person, the plus-one is indeed "unknown" and remains just a parenthetical check mark. To me it seems quite clear, requiring just a moment's thought to process (and that quality of needing a moment's thought, I think, is what characterizes a good sher, just as it characterizes a good haiku).