Observations of a Mirror
It hangs against the bedroom wall and turns
left-right the lifeless things it sees: a faintly
flowered chair with curving legs and freckled
arms, headless robe a-sprawl the bed.
And through the closet door the silent suits
step out toward it one each day and dress
parade salute about face march away
to rout the plaidies from their glen, un-nest
the wing-tips from the upper floors, then home
to hang again.
Turn your back, the mirror
has your head and arms and swings them in
a mocking silent dance until you suddenly
turn and it solemnly puts you on
again.
Terence Kuch is a consultant, avid hiker, and world traveler. His poetry credits include Blinking Cursor, Commonweal, Copperfield Review, Diagram, Hobble Creek Review, New York magazine, Poetry Motel, Slant, Thema, Timber Creek Review, Yellow Mama, and others. He has read at the Renwick Gallery of the National Museum of American Art, the International Monetary Fund Visitors’ Center, the MAC (McKinney Avenue Contemporary) Theatre in Dallas, and elsewhere.
Observations of a Mirror was previously published in Thema, 1994
Copyright © 1994 by Terence Kuch
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