In the Looking Glass

In the Looking Glass

p***y willow words 

mirrored back to me in angry disdain. 

heckling red laughter

tore ....... 

                   tears 

shredded tissues between us

so long ago      -       and yet

still i find

stubborn phrases

tonguing soft pink ears

stuck in  cracks between the walls 

unchanged .......................................................

 (a senryu in waiting)

you weren't into it and

I had need

Ginger cherry mop boards tight against the wall

holding fast ........... a heart, a fall

stillborn syncope

mirror images recognized

fog forgotten filigree

                                   fading 

impregnates the silence

turn past the looking glass

i won't remember any more

anymore.

E. 08/28/2019

Author's Note

Reviews

[John Alexander McFadyen]

How we see things when we look at ourselves and the past. Despite the differences and the history feelings are hard to extinguish for amongst the ashes of paper an unburnt fragment remains to plague us and remind us of the book and how we fingered it's pages.

[Einstein Noodle]

spot on John! you read with sensitivity and insight .. you hit all the points i was aiming at ;) God bless us all in such misery eh!? ;))
E.

[Patricia Wedel]

Love your review of E's poem, John Alexander.... "an unburnt fragment remains" ... so poetic... be still my heart. Amen, Pat

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Thank you so much Pat. Sir 'E' produces many wonderful writes.

[Lydia Shutter]

We look at the past through rose-colored glasses very often. As Barbra Streisand sang, "Has time rewritten every line?" We choose to remember the good times...the soft caresses and the whispers in the night. It's a bit of self-preservation I think. All those who walked through our lives make us who we are today, E. I related to this one. Great writing...loved the word play. Lydi**

[Einstein Noodle]

thanks Lydia .. I am very happy you related .. love that Streisand song .. she really has a voice eh!? yes... we do tend to forget the less blissful moments ... in favor of the rainbow ;) you and me have swum the river haven't we ... climbed the mountain ;)) my mirror puts them all in the same basket ... past ... there is bliss aplenty in the now aint there?

[Lydia Shutter]

Yup, I swam the river and climbed more than one mountain and now I can remember it all...albeit not so clearly! LOL Bliss comes and goes, but memories can repaint it forever!

[Einstein Noodle]

hugs baby! ;)

[Lydia Shutter]

Back at ya, E!

[DAH]

As N. Young said, "Rust never sleeps", in that nearly everyone and everything that we know will suddenly 'rust" to dust ... memory is not spared. I love this: "p***y willow words
mirrored back to me in angry disdain", and this closing is as raw as it gets: "turn past the looking glass // i won't remember any more".

Nicely played, E.

DAH

[Einstein Noodle]

thank you DAH! great to have your input on me "stuff" ... going to repay the visit shortly .. so good to meet those un-met as yet ;) when another writer gets into a poem as you seem to have..it is the best thing ever for the writer .. thanks so much ...see you 'round the Cafe' eh!?
E.

[DAH]

My pleasure!

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

It's funny how the mind wants to move on, but the ever-sensitive soul tugs us back into the past. Words that stung still sting and haunt us. My father committed suicide when I was four so I have no memories of him. My mother … she should have never had children. She was self-centered, a narcissist, and simply was incapable of love. Never once in my whole did she ever say, "I love you" or "I'm proud of you." She was always critical, belittling, abusive, and neglectful. One day, when I was 13, she said, "You think you're so special. You are nothing and a nobody and no one will ever love you." Those words have never left me. They are like the after-sting of her handprint across my face, and they sting my soul all these years later. It happens in other relationships as well, but I think the cracks in the wall between a parent and a child are the worst. This is where your words took me. Your words are well chosen and perfectly placed. Well done!

[Einstein Noodle]

oh my goodness Linda! how precious that you have shared such difficult memories .. i truly reel honored as your Cafe' friend .. and i am so glad we have newly met .. thank you for taking time :) life is hard enough without having to deal with such traumatic things in such young and very tender years .. all you say is true of course .. in health our memories are indelible .. like it or not .. every "happening" lays down a groove ... i have a Bull Mastiff named Bella .. she is 11 yrs old and the best ever .. tha's her pic in my avatar .. she is the sweetest dog i have ever met .. at 130 lbs she is built like a tank but you would love her i know .. hugging and scratching and love her is miraculously healing ... i send that blessing to you in a little prayer right now .. my Norma comes from a horribly abusive past as well ... re-living those things is a fact she deals with almost daily
:((( ... i also have an English Mastiff, Beauregard .. he is only 2yrs old and is twice as tall as Bella and weighs in at 170 lbs. .. all puppy ;) i took them out to do their business and the moon here in the Ozarks of Arkansas is once again a super moon .. my thoughts as i lifted my eyes to her was ... who needs the stars in the sky when she shines so bright they can't be seen ..and the clouds drift past in mystery and intrigue :) not sure what that has to do with anything Linda .. just wanted to share ..

[alanwgraham]

Looking in the glass is a dangerous thing. We might think the reflection is honest but it can take us by surprise. You have a great imagination in that noodle Einstein and there are some unique images and word combos in there.
Thanks for this glimpse into this other place
Cheers Alan

[Einstein Noodle]

yes!! can be dangerous indeed ... thanks so much for your impressions alan! and for taking time to review .. best of the day to ya!
E.

[Corset]

I almost missed the "fading" it was so slight and a brilliant touch, love it. Time does a lot of things inconspicuously, things you would swear would never ever happen, such as forgetting , moving forward.
having no choice leaves you with no choices but to keep shuffling or go down. Some don't die easily.

[Einstein Noodle]

thanks Corset .. very much ...for stopping by to read and review ... and i am grateful for the mention of the fading ... wasn't sure if it would work or not .. and you read with involvement .. what more could one ask ... love and peace on ya!
E.

[Corset]

backatcha!

[barleygirl]

The first half of your poem harkens back to the way I used to harangue myself for making such stupid choices in my youth, followed by sputtering stabs at self-acceptance peppered by the habitual self-criticism. From this point ("mirror images recognized") to the end, I really love your word-crafting. It feels like the journey of making friends with life's regrets (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[Einstein Noodle]

:))))))))) love the way you put that Margie ... we an beat ourselves up real good given have a chance eh!? .. you pretty much read it all "In The Looking Glass"

[Chris Shaw]

Your lines are short but they are packed with pain and in between the lines there is so much more. Time doesn't always heal does it? There are moments when we play scenes out and the words echo in our ear. I don't even have to look in the mirror to be reminded. There are some things that can't be forgotten. There are bits in the past that will never be erased that come back to taunt. I have my own ghosts. Wonderful writing Mr E. How did I miss this gem?

Chris

[Einstein Noodle]

thank you for you kind, encouraging review Chris! as to how you missed it??? well....i guess you didn't did your :))))))) memories do prevail over time some times .. you are right .. we suffer deep enduring pain ... remembering the incidents re-surfaces all the emotions .. one good argument for the fist thoughts ..then feelings group ;) all of my sharp pains are dulled quite honestly .. i have become friends with them ;) love on ya Chris

[kitty]

It is in looking in that mirror that we sometimes face the realities of life. Whilst busy with living we never ever think of freezing time so that when we 'recall' moments in time then are as is ~ but time moves on ~ we stay with memories we can never re trace! Don't know if I am making any sense here but just trying to reinvent feelings recently came to mind! A striking piece. Thanks for sharing.

[Einstein Noodle]

thank you so much for reviewing kitty .. its important i think ... yes! a looking glass time warp for sure .. our lives so full of past, present and future ... not to mention our imagination worlds ... thanks so much again, kitty, for taking time

[kitty]

My pleasure!

[Eugi]

It hurts to move on, both physically and mentally. Some memories linger way too long.

[Einstein Noodle]

ohhhh don't they Eugi .. way too long and way to real for the longest of times sometimes ;) we survive tho don't we .. and find fertile fodder to feed on ... a poets garden well fertilized i suppose :))))))))))))))) love on ya my new found friend!
E.

[Eugi]

Thanks, my new found friend! :)