Broken Mirror

Robert S. O’Neal 1984 (Oklahoma)

March 23 


Here I am, all alone,

standing face to face.

To the one I hate so much,

my heart begins to race.

I spit at him and curse him out,

as tears run down my face.

I drew my fist, my heart went still

As seemed time and space.

But when I swing it's me that bleeds,

A shatter makes it clear.

Now standing all alone,

looking at a broken mirror.


-       Robert S. O’Neal

About this poem

It’s a story of struggles I went through as a young adult. From losing everything and being homeless at 18. Recovering and losing it all again

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Written on June 12, 1999

Submitted by airmanoneal on March 26, 2023

Modified on May 02, 2023

29 sec read
62

Quick analysis:

Scheme A B X B X B X B X X A X X
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 374
Words 98
Stanzas 13
Stanza Lengths 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1

Discuss the poem Broken Mirror with the community...

2 Comments
  • poetica2008
    My favorite part of the poem was the way the writer used his words to express deep emotions.
    LikeReply1 year ago
  • baways
    I think it connects with me and probably most people, in that we get frustrated to the point of angry at ourselves. Luckily hands heal and mirrors can be replaced.
    LikeReply1 year ago

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"Broken Mirror" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/155896/broken-mirror>.

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From Ralph Waldo Emerson’s The Test, “Sunshine cannot _____ the snow, Nor time unmake what poets know.
A reach
B beseech
C leach
D bleach