Published September 19, 2005
The Mirror
What do I see in this mirror?
In this mirror all cracked and dingy?
I see a memory, a tiny memory,
and what I saw so many years before.
I see myself, standing in front of the silvery glass,
lacking in all the cracks that now grace its once-fine frame.
I was crying, not with tears, not even with my heart,
but with my mind.
I felt a shallow anguish, one that felt as though it would destroy me,
but it didn't. It couldn't.
I did not like that wispy girl,
with hair like strings surrounding her face,
or her simple, unornamented attire.
I refused to look beyond the mirror,
that wretchedly smooth mirror,
and stare into her eyes.
They cried out to that miserable little girl,
begging her to explain what she was doing,
why she picked up the old book, the one she never read
and destroyed that marvelous reflection.
Why was she not looking beyond the shell,
and seeing what I now see lay hidden within?
And now I know the answer, but it is simply no answer at all.
I smile happily at that ancient looking glass,
loving the girl I see beyond the shell,
and the eyes that had experienced all.
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139,585 Literary Works • 672,611 Reviews
i'm new and have not read much work but this poem really gripped me. Some of the words used was very powerful. i really liked it![/b]
Whoa, I'm just curious here- are you guys (soccerfreak and Once Upon A dream) having the same thoughts? Sorry- I just had to ask.
Anyway, to explain the third line of the first stanza(and the fourth and fifth lines of the third stanza): Sometimes repetitiveness can create a pretty awesome affect, its not always bad. Though I do realize what you guys were getting at when you complained about the repetitiveness of me saying "mirror" like two million times... (I changed it). Thanks!
I really like the idea behind this. The topic of mirrors is one of my personal favorites. My only real complaint is that parts of it are repetitive. You use the word 'mirror' a lot, and the third line seemed a little awkward to me...though that's probably just me being the enemy of repetetiveness (which I don't even think is a word) that I am.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this. Keep up the good work!
WOW YOU AMAZE MORE WITH EVERY THING YOU WRITE!! I thouroughly enjoyed the last three stanzas however the first two weren't as connected. They were just lacking that special something that came out of your last three stanzas but none the less it is awesome!
I loved this. The imagery was great as usual but the one nit-picky thing that bugs me is this part.
"lacking in all the cracks that now grace its once-fine frame.
I was crying, not with tears, not even with my heart,
but with my mind.
I felt a shallow anguish, one that felt as though it would destroy me,
but it didn't. It couldn't.
I did not like that wispy girl,
with hair like strings framing her face, "
I know it probably doesn't matter much but you used frame/ing twice and, I don't know why but that bugged me. You can leave it if you want, I don't really care. Good job though! It was wonderful. Keep posting!
This is an amazing line.
I like the ideas and imagery in this poem...mirrors are one of my favorite subjects to wrote about, I think they're very inspirational. But one thing, I think you use the word "mirror" too much in the piece itself, especially in the first few stanzas. Maybe you could take a few of them out altogether, or find a different way to word yourself in those spots....