Broken Mirror - Sept 28

 

Broken Mirror

Sept 28 2022

Despite the jagged crack

angling down its length,

the broken mirror

reflected just as well;

still firmly held

in its heavy wooden frame.

But will there be bad luck?

Will the fragments fall,

insidious daggers

of shattered glass

scattered on the floor?

Or will it last

until the glass dulls

gets scratched and water-stained,

my image turns old

spent

haggard?

The large crack

a memento mori

to remind us of our transience.

Like those portraits of kings

with a fly in one corner

as a portent of mortality.

Or will it be a metaphor

for human brokenness;

the scarred souls

and secret burdens

we carry inside?

In its imperfect reflection

what we know to be true

but keep to ourselves?

Or will I look away,

have it replaced,

turn it toward the wall?

Even though it really did

make the small room

seem somehow bigger.