The Silence of Mirrors

What can a mirror say?

You fall into reflections

as you stand and stare

where ripples don't appear

in the glazed surface

upon the hallway wall.

 

All you see are echoes,

pulses of white light

flowing back at you

from the deepest recesses

of that uncharted universe

in your mind.

 

There is no sound,

no voice

other than in your

head,

a head either filled

with guilty thoughts

or over-inflated

self belief.

 

And what you see

is what you get, what you

sow is what you reap.

 

And so one must conclude

that there are no answers

within that empty glass,

it's soulless face impassive,

as the only thing to be heard

are the aftershocks

of your own heart beat.

 

 

 

09/09/19

Author's Note

Reviews

[Coyote Poetry]

The below words could stand alone.
"And what you see
is what you get, what you
sow is what you reap."
Thank you John for sharing the amazing poetry.
Coyote

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Thank you Coyote John and greetings from Croatia.

[Coyote Poetry]

Have some fun. I would love to visit Croatia and you are welcome.

[Chris Shaw]

A mirror only reflect how a person looks on the outside. It can give no indication regarding what is going on inside. I for one am thankful for that. The number of times I have made the effort to look good on the outside when I felt like a car crash inwardly and was able to hide it from others. That's the way I like it. You took me on a journey with this fine flowing free verse John. Good morning.

Chris

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Good Morning Chris. Many thanks. Those pesky mirrors do get inside us a t times. Just rushing round getting ready to depart tomorrow for Croatia for a cruse so may be incommunicado for a while as not sure they have wifi.

[Chris Shaw]

Have a lovely time. I'm sure that even without WiFi, you will continue to write your poems. Have a good break.

Chris

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Thanks Chris. A couple to post before tomorrow I am sure!

[h d e rushin]

I have a full length mirror who's reflection is half cocked. But without compassion or remorse it chops at least a half inch off my waistline and makes me , at least, a full two inches shorter. It lies to me and I love it.
"and so one must conclude
that there are no answers
within that empty glass".

which, as you may know, was the central idea of the so called RECOCO movement with it's asymmetry and scrolling curves. True mirrors cause too much anxiety and uncertainty and I think that is what your implying. ….great write....dana

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Indeed Dana you have nailed the intent and add good background 'mood music'. Many thank yous.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

the mirror will reflect the face, the body...but what's inside? that we imagine as we look at ourselves...we see deep within our heart and soul...the mirror might be a path towards that...but doesn't reflect...that mirror is on the inside.
j.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Indeed it is Jacob, spot on! We are the mirror. many thanks.

[Eilis]

I feel the depth of metaphor here, John. It's not easy to believe in anything aside from the strength of one's own character. And indeed that aspect of being human is paramount in creating a just and livable world: feeling responsible for one's actions. The truth of what we see being the truth of what we see, we must build a world around the knowledge that we can confirm.

I confess, I see the world differently. We are forever discovering new things and I think the percentage of what we know compared to what we don't is quite small. But, I understand this viewpoint.

The mirror is a great avenue for exploring an absence of meaning because it is, itself, subject to the scrutiny of what is witness-able. And what we see there is also what we see outside of it, only there is that silence and stillness you describe where everything can be distilled.

This is a thoughtful poem and idea. Not sure if I read it just right, but that's what it said to me just now.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

I like your in-depth analysis and feel we are 'on the same page' Eilis. I think we spend too much time looking in the mirror and concentrating on external sources of support such as religion. Not so long ago we believed the earth was flat and we could not traverse the oceans. We think we are oh so more sophisticated not we have crawled out from the rock into space but out there are many 'flat earth' moments awaiting us. Many, many thanks.

[Karmee]

So very truthful, what you sow is what you reap, This is so very good. I enjoyed the feelings you out into this write, nicely written

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Many thanks SK you are most generous with your review.