as a mirror (poem)

I stand before you as a mirror

But not a perfect mirror, no

A piece of work rejected at the factory as flawed

Sold at a discount perhaps

Never framed, left around, moved here and there,

A corner chipped, then taped together

The silver peeled

Labeled ‘mirror’

Stained with fingerprints

Dirt adhered where gum from stickers long forgotten once stuck

Scratched by overzealous scrubbing

Tried to sell at a yard sale, unsold, given away

(I could not throw it away, it might make good art supplies)

Part of a growing collection of mirrors, no room, no room

I have others far better, some worse

I have written poems about this mirror; it would make a good movie, too

Fingernail polish makes a good paint

I have layered on other materials, too

I could not stop for the paint to dry

We stuck on other mirrors with little more than spit

It could not be moved or it might fall apart

There is no room to eat at the table, there is no time

Dinner doesn’t matter as much

The mirror must be layered, layered

With images of a kind

I do not see it as art just something that must be done

It must not be left undone

The mirror gives life meaning

What would I do without it

You may laugh and whisper but I do not notice and if I did I would not care

You may say that I can not separate myself from the mirror

But that is nonsense to me

I would not want to

The mirror is everything

Stand back make room I can not hear you shut up

What is the price of stopping?

I sharpen a knife to scrape away layer after layer and reapply pine needles

Please do not open the curtains, No!

There is no reason

To let outside life distract me

The life inside is life

I do not understand you, how can you have no mirror?

by DanShaw.com