She was flawed, I could not deny that
and yet the moment
she gazed at me I would forget everything else
I, the mirror in the room
simple and elegant, am unbiased
as the books
placed on top of me wonder when the hour
would come
when she would reach the last page.
In the darkness of twilight, I am an abyss
the dark cherry fine wood
moist with naivety of her dreams,
her eyes weaving reality and array of possibilities
the pillow
slightly wrinkled is the playmate of exhaustion
she leaves no poems beneath him, only the cadence
of quietude,
I know for a fact that she wants to live them, feel them
and taste them.
I, the mirror in the room, am her only confidant
the bed,
may be the perfect companion equipped with sheets
but like the birds
she only sleeps until dawn
in the dresser
there lie but few accessories, a hairbrush, lip gloss
post its
and a bottle of lavender lotion,
in the end
it is I to whom she turns, who tells only the truth
the room might hold her weight
but like a tireless lover I hold her heart.
Photo credits: Jonathan Willis, Unsplash
Posted for Poems in April @ Real Toads
Posted on Open Link Night @ dVerse Pub
the room might hold her weight
but like a tireless lover I hold her heart… that close is very nice!
Thank you so much, Rajani 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
Oh! my god Sanaa, this is so wonderful. What a perspective ! The mirror is her true companion and like her I too wish to live in the poems 🙂 .You are my favourite poetess 🙂 !!!!
Awww gosh! ❤️ Thank you so much, Vandana 😀 so glad you enjoyed it! ❤️
A mirror image of the stereotypical woman’s love affair with the mirror! A genius metaphor, Sanaa! There is also a hint of the supernatural or even malevolence, like the mirror in Snow White, in the lines:
‘In the darkness of twilight, I am an abyss
the dark cherry fine wood
moist with naivety of her dreams’
and
‘I, the mirror in the room, am her only confidant
…
but like a tireless lover I hold her heart.’
Thank you so much, Kim 😍 so glad you liked it ❤️
Ah, that is such an interesting rendering from the perspective of the mirror — I love the ambiguity in it; there’s a certain quality to this narration, of mirror being the confidant and the friend that she needs, while also a warning/vulnerability to be dependent on what the mirror reflects. I especially loved it for how it reminded me of Plath’s Mirror, which says, “I am not cruel, only truthful /The eye of a little god, four-cornered”. Yours is both a similar and a contrary position to that one.
Wonderful writing, Sanaa!
Thank you so much, Anmol 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
(and thank you for the lovely prompt) 🌹
Wow! Mirror, mirror on the wall! I like that her pillow is a playmate of exhaustion…but this mirror…It’s got to be my fav of yours, Sanaa!
Thank you so much, Vivian 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
This puts me in mind of Sylvia Plath’s Mirror – such a unique perspective of self. The final stanza is especially excellent at conveying and summing up the theme.
Thank you so much, Kerry 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
I am glad the mirror’s objectiveness doesn’t devolve into cruelty. In fact, it is very kind in its candor.
Definitely 🙂 thanks for stopping by, Rommy ❤️
I love the concept of mirror as abyss.
Thank you so much, Rosemary 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
wow! what an exceptional exploration Sanaa!
I feel like I’ve just crossed into this very personal story, as witness and am walking out on the other side with a very intimate understanding about someone. The truth behind the face, so to speak. And it’s fascinating how you’ve used the mirror as voice, and how you’ve revealed these wonderfully telling details, the sparsity of what’s held in the dresser, how she only sleeps until dawn, like the birds (how lovely is this?) how the bed/pillow is a playmate of exhaustion, like a co-conspirator … etc.
This is a richly evocative poem – surprising for its delicacy and agility, and yet it teases just enough of our senses to say, yes – how surprisingly wonderful –
and the last lines are so weighted — in an entirely agreeable way.
You’ve deftly explored the different aspects of “mirror mirror” – from the possibility of vanity, to the hidden truths we stack within, to the reveal — this poem leaves me satisfied and yet curiously wandering in my own imagination as to “more” …. so well done! Brava! This is probably one of my faves!
Awwww gosh! ❤️ Thank you so much, Pat 😀 so glad you enjoyed it! ❤️
YES!!! And then there’s the whole Beauty and the Beast, locked away with the animated dresser element.
❤️❤️❤️❤️
I looked into the mirror. I said: “You’re the spitting image of me!” And then I spit on it. And it was true.
Another “WOW it’s another Sanaa poem” that I always look forward to.
Thank you so much, Timoteo 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
The mirror of an abyss in which one can lose oneself. I like it.
Thank you so much, Toni 😀 so good to see you ❤️
I love the ideas of a mirror as a confidant… the intimacy of a mirror that sees everything…It is how we as the viewer translates our image that can bless or curse us.
Thank you so much, Susie 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
Loved that you picked a mirror, inanimate, yet capable of so much.
Thank you so much, Sara 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
You put a whole new meaning to two-way mirror! I very much enjoy the concept of the sentient, philosophical mirror <3
Thank you so much, Jade Li 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
So many poems out here are multi-posted on several sites. I jump on it from the get-go at OLN, and find myself at the tail end of a long queue. I loved this poem, however–it may be one of your best
Thank you so much, Glenn 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
Sanaa, this is magical. I’m moving right into this poem to stay.
“and yet the moment
she gazed at me I would forget everything else”
“In the darkness of twilight, I am an abyss
the dark cherry”
“the pillow
slightly wrinkled is the playmate of exhaustion”
“she leaves no poems beneath him” … I love that!!!
“a hairbrush, lip gloss
post its
and a bottle of lavender lotion”
“the room might hold her weight
but like a tireless lover I hold her heart” … Gah, that is so gorgeous.
Thank you so much, Shawna 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
I really like the creativity in this poem. I never thought of a bedroom mirror in this way. Well written.
Thank you so much, Arcadia Maria 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
The looking glass sees us for who we really are. Reflections of life found in a bed of dreams. My favorite part…
but like the birds
she only sleeps until dawn
She was flawed, I think we are all flawed and that is the true beauty we see…
Thank you so much, Truedessa 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
From the perspective of the mirror–fascinating! The last three lines are wonderful.
Thank you so much, Merril 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
Love the unique perspective and the depth in which you took it. This feels like a different style from you. I like it.
Thank you so much, Mish 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
There is great depth and perspective in your portal. Povel poem.
*lovely poem… sorry for the typo.
😊📝🦋
Thank you so much, Barry 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
A beautiful poem showing that it is not the flaws, but rather the uniqueness of a life well lived that is perfection. The mirror reflects it all!.. Well done.
I loved this line…
In the darkness of twilight, I am an abyss
the dark cherry fine wood
moist with naivety of her dreams,
Thank you so much, Dwight 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️