Mocked by a carnival mirror,
a contortion cruel as doubt,
I wrecked the woozy image:
a snicker clinked out.

Mirrors on other walls
published the same burlesque face:
mirrors round, oval, or square
crackled in place.

I cached the winks of glass,
some sleight-of-self to reclaim,
but the kaleidoscope of shards
configure the same

punished reflections my eyes
reflectively defined—
glass that mirrored a face
that mirrored a mind.

06/14/2012

Posted on 06/14/2012
Copyright © 2024 William F Dougherty