The Mirror

antique-mirror-abstract-51875202

They look to me for reassurance. They want to know that they are still there. That they exist in the complexity that lies within their body. I portray their imperfections, their hardships, and their persistence at beauty. I show them what they want to see.

When they nod, I nod. If they scrutinize, I scrutinize. When they talk, I talk back, perfecting every movement and judgment that they make.

They stare at me, primping their hair and dotting their eyes with mascara. When they are finished, they smile. I smile. We are a team, but only for a moment. Because when they are done, when they have finished staring, when they have found what they’re looking for, they no longer need me. They close their compact mirrors. They snap their medicine cabinets closed. They turn off the bathroom light.

Who am I without them? A blank mirror has nothing to reflect upon.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/narcissism-is-good_us_563aa9a2e4b0411d306fa826

13 responses to “The Mirror”

  1. Oh, very nicely done. I really feel for the mirror. And I love the idea that people look in the mirror because they want to know that they are still there. Well perceived.

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  2. I never thought of it from the other side before . . . sad mirror. 😦

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  3. Interesting, putting a trivial observation in such a magnificent thought is laudatory. Anand Bose from Kerala.

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  4. Interesting article and a fantastic response. I like the last line ” a blank mirror has nothing to reflect upon.” A mirror really isn’t useful unless their is someone or something being reflected in it. That is its purpose and perhaps what makes us a little bit like Narcassist, who never saw echoe, for staring at his own reflection!

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  5. I’ve begun to tape the day’s newspaper comics page on the wall opposite my bathroom mirror. That gives it something to think about. Instead of taking its revenge on me, making me look older every day.

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  6. A mirror holds many secrets waiting to be told

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  7. Love the ending! Awesome reflection on the power of a mirror. I have pinned it to my Pinterest for others to enjoy.

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  8. Great piece. I recently wrote a poem about a mirror. It gave me a completely different outlook, much as yours did.

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  9. A beautifully wrritten composition.
    Very haunting.

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  10. Brilliant creativity and insight.

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  11. I love the way you take an idea and work it all the way to the end of the story. (This is the third post of yours that I have read). You are very clever!

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