Narcissus Defined

 

Narcissus, she stared into her reflection

Kohl-smudged eyes delving into the depths of perception

Wondering how she got this far

How all came to be.

 

Never the prettiest of her ilk,

She maintained an aire of loveliness nonetheless

With intelligence, wit, and unabashed honesty.

 

A blank canvas, she painted herself with the colors

That suited her best:

Reds, blacks, blues, and grays,

Giving her portrait an aura of melancholy

And a depth of soul that somehow

Made others want to peer closer

Rather than shy away.

 

She did her best to be what was expected of her,

Coloring outside of the lines

Only when the mood took her.

The end result?

A fairly interesting hodgepodge of interesting inhabitants,

Peculiar places, lessons learned, tales to be told, and passions pursued.

 

Where had it all gone wrong?

 

Two steps forward now yielded

Seventy-three steps back.

 

“When god closes a door, he opens a window”?

Well then, where the f**k were her windows?

Because all of the doors had slammed shut,

Despite her anxious fingers or frantic feet barring the way.

Maybe the birdhouse in her soul had no windows.

Or doors.

 

It was more of a cell, really.

A padded room.

 

Where she was stuck with bruised fingers

And smashed toes.

 

Narcissus, she leaned into her reflection,

Water-marked glass cool against her forehead.

She wished escapism was as easy as falling into herself,

Enveloping herself in a cocoon of everything she wished

Could be.

Was true.

Waiting for the Elysian spring

Where hope would spring anew.

 

Instead, she hesitated there a moment longer,

Eyes closed.

 

She took a deep breath,

Exhaled.

She reached for the doorknob,

Sure that motion was better food for the soul than stagnation.

Reviews

[Sawdust]

LOVELY TO SEE SOMEONE REMEMBERS NARRISCUS

[Cold Coffee Magazine]

Testing the walls that keep us bound, even their reality of the walls must be shown.

Well written. It seems as if this was personal and given much thought.

It reeks of honesty.

Well done.

Dave

[Marti Wukelic]

I still think you're supposed to be mine.

[M. Andre Vancrown]

Truly, to see ourselves through the inquistiveness of others gives us some idea of the vibe if not the content of that reflection. I've always felt that self-knowledge without being tested in the field against others is deceptive. Because many many times I thought I knew myself, only to find that . . . others could lead me to self-knowledge that was often shocking. Like, we react in ways we would have sworn we didn't have in us. Makes me think of the old saying, and I'm paraphrasing but . . . what use a virtue unless it's tested. Same applies to this notion of Self.

Nice write, Zeller . . . or shall I call you Thing (1 or 2?)

My best to you,

Michael