If I were to never gaze
At a mirror again
I wonder if my reflection would miss me.
I wonder if it’d spend long days
In the shadows
Awaiting my return.
If it’d search for the sole entity
That lay bare before itself
Without shame, or glory
Without a need
To put a name to each seething scar
As we nod in quiet understanding.
If I were to hide away
For the rest of my days
I wonder if my reflection
Would step in stealth
Out of dented vessels
Or cool clear waterfalls
To catch a glimpse of me.
I wonder if it’d spend nights craving
Sunlight and glitter
And the bending of light
Like I do.
I stare at my counterpart
As it traces the curves and plains
Of its bare body,
Inviting me to do the same on mine.
We relish each mole, each dip, each nascent wrinkle
And spill each other’s secrets
In that moment of intimacy.
I let my eyes wander,
Fondling the fantasy of the perfect companion
Only to have lights flicker,
And banish it from existence
In the blink of an eye,
Leaving me wondering
If it weren’t simply a mad woman’s dream
To seek company
In phantoms of the mind.