Mirror Image

The mirror was there when we moved in,

Full length, and stood in the hall,

Right where the lounge room opened up

Against the opposite wall.

Yvette was startled at first, she said,

‘That mirror gave me a fright,

To see a figure suddenly there

Stare back in the dead of night.’

 

‘You’ll soon get used to it there, Yvette,

There’s nowhere else it can go,

Once you have moved your chattels in

And filled up the house below.’

‘It’s strange though, isn’t it,’ said Yvette,

‘It reflects the wrong way round,

My right is left and my left is right

Like an opposite me it’s found.’

 

‘You’d better tell her you’re not impressed,

That she’s taken half your face,

And moved it to the opposite side

In a sign of twisted grace.’

For Yvette had one green eye, the right,

And a pale blue eye, the left,

So what stared back from that mirror there

Was a back to front Yvette.

 

She’d stand in front of that mirror there

And would pose, and raise her hand,

‘I raise my right, and it seems to me

I’m reversed in mirror land.’

I said, ‘It’s the same for everyone

But you seem to be obsessed,’

‘It isn’t me,’ said Yvette, ‘you’ll see

When she steps out through the glass.’

 

I woke at night, in the early light

And Yvette was not in bed,

I found her down by the mirror there

Where the morning light was shed.

I crept up slowly behind her there

And saw what Yvette could see,

That figure, facing away from her,

But never a sign of me.

 

‘I told the woman to turn around

And she did, I see my back!’

But so did I, it was such a shock

Like a brought-on heart attack,

Yvette went missing the following day

Though I searched both high and low,

But didn’t stare at the mirror there

Just in case she was… you know!

 

I called her name when the evening came

And she crawled right into bed,

‘You scared me out of my mind,’ I cried,

‘But I don’t know why,’ she said.

She gave me a long, fulfilling kiss

When I stared, as one bereft,

For this Yvette had a blue eye, right

And a green one on the left.

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[Barbz]

Wow, this mirror and this write has a sort of esoteric mysticism about it! Mirrors often reflect a difference in reality, at least in ones mind. Scary, in a way, but very clever. After disappearing, I'm glad "she wasn't...you know"!! When "this" Yvette came out of the mirror, he took to her with different colored eyes.....so to speak!! LOL!! marvelous D.L.P......It's never Run of the Mill.......Barbz

[TPK Stories]

A strange yet frightful twist!

[Valentine]

Mirrors reflect...but they cannot reveal...just what, the heart can feel. I wonder if that ending kiss was much better than the last one he received from the 1st Yvette? Nice story. Valentine

[minisla]

Very nice flow David enjoyed reading

[PANDORA]

This is the second piece I have read about a mirror on this site. I must admit, while a horror junkie, nothing quite scares me as when a mirror reflects other than a true reflection.

I very interesting and enjoyable read.

[Cat]

I achieved a giggling satisfaction by the rhythm! Beautiful execution, I love the pace that emphasizes the nonchalant tone, very interesting.

[BlueZan]

Well. This is a great piece! The perfect sort of romantic/creepy that leaves me wishing there was more to read and more to see. Wonderful.

[Tate Morgan]

Ah that was great Dave loved it

[R Smith]

you can't beat a good horror mirror story and this is a classic and original idea, I'm thinking he got the better part of the mirror swap but who knows if you come up with a part two, could be a twist in his tail :)

[Lady Lola]

Slightly creepy and as lovely as it is mysterious.
This poem really gets me thinking. Is the real Yvette okay? What did she find when she went through the looking-glass (a little Lewis Carroll allusion ;-) ). Who came out on this side and is that "person" actually a person? Maybe Mirror-Yvette is the exact opposite of the original Yvette, not just physically but also emotionally.

[emmajoy]

A creepy comedy of errors, no less! As so often you wind a touch of the gothic around your words, sending wee shivers of wonder what the.. to your reader's mind!

The core of this,. not saying within my review, is truly intriguing because i wonder if it rests with the mirror, Yvette or indeed, the writer. Maybe the story could veer into different directions! Certainly the ending suggests a more 'interesting' solution for both man and woman! Wonder if mirrors have ears?

Superb meter, great story telling.. and for me, a masterly mystery.