Mirror, Mirror on my Wall

Mirror, Mirror on my Wall
Irene Hao

There it was: the mirror that haunts my dreams
So silver and smooth just like paint. It gleams
Chokes with the artificial smell of pigment
Begging to be broken, but when I struck, no dent

It was a parasite. And not even sleeping pills
Could bring me to paradise, can’t see or stay still
Wasn’t paralyzed, just terrified. Over and over
The only truth: the glass grows clearer as I grow older

Then one day, the mirror approached so near
I saw a mirage, so crystal clear
I saw what is was and cried so many tears
Tears so silver and smooth, and a smell I couldn’t bear

And so I became part of the thing that haunted my sleep,
Parted this world, walked alongside the figure
In silver, not black, the figure who reaps

​