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Sunday, August 14, 2016

Mirrors

Mirrors

By May Kwek

One dark moon lit night
I walked into a room filled with moonlight
And saw a hundred mirrors each standing on stands
Each one deliberately designed by man’s hand

I walked to the first at the side of the place
Held it up and saw a sliver of my face
‘Disabled’, the words on the mirror said
But I didn’t see me so the image I’d trade

I walked to the next by a painting strange
For the faces there always changed
I looked into the mirror and I saw my face
But not my features, my character, just my race

I set the mirror for race down
And next to some prayer beads another one found
‘Religion’ it said, ‘in most the world’
And saw a perfect but unreal girl

I moved on to the drawers and beside a dress
Found a full length mirror straining under stress
I tried on the dress, did a little turn
And saw in the mirror, not a person, just a woman

As I got rid of the outfit something caught my eye
From the moonlight bouncing off a mirror shy
Dusty and broken lying on the floor
I wondered what it was meant for

It was small and simple, but firmly held in place
Just enough to reflect my face
On its edges was carved one word: ‘humanity’
And when I gazed into it I saw me

Copyright © 2016 by May Kwek

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