Broken Mirror

Tis an anomaly to me, that

when looking in the mirror,

I am transparent, without soul,

nor any affirmation that life exists within.

I am less than a shadow, a sinister spectre,

but the deception is not mine.

What would this world have me be?

A hollow abode, a habitat for the vacant

to haunt, ghastly in ghostly hues.

I am repugnant, an ominous reminder

that death is not the final word,

just an abhorrent common ancestor.

One can move about and flail restlessly

whilst consciously decaying and departing

this world. Every domiciled being,

is home to putrefaction, festering of spirit

and corroding courage and compassion.

I love things and use people.

I am a pretext, not a person,

just a trick of the light; my affected invisibility

a silhouette of nothing.

What did I expect of a broken mirror, anyway?

Reviews

[...]

. ah, well ... i like all the hues of classical english that you so effortlessly express your thoughts in ... including the " 'tis " but i'm no expert ... and the instances of alliteration are remarkable ... you obviously have great felicity with the language ... your vocabulary is utterly remarkable too ... yet my favourite line in this post is ... "I am a pretext, not a person" ... simple and so incredibly loaded with meaning and profound ... makes one ponder about how small one is ... in the scheme of things ... exceptional poetry ...

[Spookers]

This is lovely. I like the personification in this, and more big words. Well at least I'm using my dictionary for something. Good job.

[Pi Cee]

A broken mirror...yellow light with hideous brightness in a steamfilled room.... It can change things...
Great write.

[Leslie Philibert]

What I like about this poem is the way you use what is a pretty common image and the deflate it at the end with the almost thow-away line....What did I expect...
Inbetween a lot of great lines.Good work.

[Mary Fioratti]

Very profound your poem. Interesting when you wrote:"When looking at the mirror, I am transparent without soul"...
And I most like this part:
"I am a pretext, not a person,
just a trick of the light; my affected invisibility
a silhouette of nothing"
Being a pretext...not a person... interesting insight.
Your poem is very beautiful and intriguing...
*Mary*

[Victoria PoetryBunny]

Interesting write, i like how your thought was in this poem.

[Lilly Negoi]

mirror-mirror on the wall :)...
sometimes all you have to do to see that is to watch from inside the mirror's perspective. then you realize that life and death are one and the same.

[Janna Nicole]

Beautiful work. It was very moving..

[Pretty Faces Split Open]

A reflection already broken. Really well done. Love the language of this.

[Alskar]

This is fantastic. The premise of the broken mirror is a common one, but you've involved it so well with the story of decline of this person. Your flow is perfect, and your word choice is spot on in showing how unhappy and insecure the person is. Although insecurity with self-image is more commonly associated with women, for some reason I get the idea this is a man. I think the bluntless of the language makes me think that. This is exquisite.

[Chris]

Better?

A power-full if less than myopic description of a good man...

Chris