Phantom

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.