The Burden of a Mirror
A man approached me, dressed in shining gold;
The suit was one I’ve seen ten times before.
Behind him lurked a man who seemed quite old,
His scars told me he fought the recent war.
A day ago, I saw a pair of twins.
Their variance was clear to me like glass.
I might excel at memorizing skins,
But all I want is vision through their mass.
I see it all, except the vital parts
That make a person who they truly are;
I cannot see the pureness of their hearts.
To know their figure does not bring me far.
I yearn to know what stocks each person’s mind.
I might see all, but I am truly blind.
About this poem
This is a poem I wrote to bring attention to the way we perceive and judge people, pushing the message to the audience that we could see every inch of a person's physical body, and we would not know a single thing about them, as what makes a person is what is on the inside. To convey this message, I wrote an altered states poem from the perspective of a mirror.
Written on April 25, 2023
Submitted on June 16, 2023
- 40 sec read
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Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABAB CDCD EFEF GG |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 609 |
Words | 134 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 2 |
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"The Burden of a Mirror" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/162093/the-burden-of-a-mirror>.
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