(a response to this piece by natalie aka potterfan97 of mywordpool)
The Mirrors of Our Words
The mirrors of our words
reflect only each other
and us.
We search for the meanings
of things in the names
that we call them,
in the names of the things
that we call to
in our sleep.
All we reflect on is our selves.
All we reflect is on our selves
like stains on a sheet.
We pull words from a pool
like pebbles to hold in our hands
for a time and toss back.
We pile each other on with
well-meaning mounds
of meaning.
We bury each other
in the masks
of things.
We stand before ourselves, reflecting
holes of what we can say about
the whole of who we are not.
In a world of mirrors
these reflections are all that we have;
this reflex is all that we own.
And sometimes
we stare at our own open mouths
and hear screams.
We hear sudden intakes of breath.
We hear gaping grunts of exertion,
sudden exhalations from chests
hammered by invisible fists,
or the slow outlet of air
that signs a state of awe.
And sometimes our lips are sewn shut.
And sometimes our throats are torn out.
And sometimes our vocal chords are rip-
chords that we can or will not pull.
And sometimes our teeth are clenched and
the breath hisses through them like piss on a fire.
And sometimes our nostrils flare and
the white-eyed starer stares back.
And sometimes these
holes in our faces
are just that.
And sometimes we’re all
starving reflections of each other
opening our mouths and saying,
“Sometimes…”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(natalie is a poet of immense talents who never ceases to amaze me and in this case in particular (along with this absolute cracker of a poem) has finally convinced me to muster up the courage to post a series of pieces relating to my struggles with the Dreaded About Page and the general terror of Speaking About Myself. Apparently I have to work out what and who I am NOT first, and perhaps unfortunately, you all will now be dragged through the muck that is my little House of Mirrors of a Mind. Stay tuned…things could get ugly………-er)
Our vocal chords are rip chords… So many fantastic lines in this JCC, I ABSOLUTELY adore it, how often our images alter in our reflection, depending on what’s going on in our heads – and is that you in the mirror?
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Yes. Our images are in a constant state of flux for sure. Nothing is completely stable. Especially the self. Which of course includes ideas, feelings and images…all reflections of reflections…
And Yes…that’s my mug. This too will change….stay tuned…
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ooer interesting 😉 I’m tuned, bit of static at times, but I’m tuned 🙂
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And sometimes I can only gasp
at the images created
for me to reflect upon
Nice job. And yeah, I agree, Natalie rocks.
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Thanks so much for your words, especially for commenting in verse. We’re poets after all. And I seem to often find myself versifying in comments on Natalie’s Word Pool.
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Concur with comment above, that rip chord line was killer. This is really well done. What are you about? What are any of us about?
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Well, dunno what you’re about but I’m about five foot seven and a half…give or take.
It’s funny but that’s often how I think of this whole “About” thing. That funny play on the meaning of about. As though we are actually little constellations or groupings of planetoids orbiting and revolving and evolving about….what?
Indeed.
Thanks for this.
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“We stand before ourselves, reflecting
holes of what we can say about
the whole of who we are not.”
This line was KILLER. I’m going to print out this poem and hang it on my wall of words (yes, that’s a real thing). I am so honored to have semi-provoked this 😉
I always look forward to roaming through this House of Mirrors. Your reflections are so like mine.
Natalie
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Honored back atcha. A poem of mine in a place of honor.
Thank you.
And there’s more to come.
About thirteen I think.
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Not, of course, that I’m presuming any such further places of honor for the rest of this little diatribe. It’s mostly just mind-junk really. Thirteen pieces of mind-junk. Kind of like space-junk. The little wrenches and nuts and missing metal plates and hoses lost for an interminably long slow orbiting decline in towards….?
Hence my trepidation about posting it. But….here goes nuthin’!
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Space junk is, I find, endlessly interesting. It tells a story 😉 Keep it coming!
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D-I-T-T-O here. What potterfan97 (aka Natalie??) said. That knocked my rock for a loop. Or my not-rock. I feel so not right now. Put the comma where you wish. Bedtime.
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Thanks J–
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So why don’t you just use this on your About page? It’s a pretty spectacular opening….
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Thanks J, and that may happen yet, but I was considering using this and what will follow on a “Not About Me” page as this is more about what goes on when I think “About Me” than actually what is “About Me.” If that makes any sense. And I suppose there might be some folks out there somewhere who really do want to know all the typical biographical stuff, so I my break down and do that too. But Hey! Maybe I’ll label That page “Not About Me” as the whole point of all this is to question the validity of any such definitions of self.
But this is an evolving thing so we’ll just have to see where this all ends up….
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Yup. Finally took your advice. 🙂
Thanks again, dear!
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This is a wonderful poem
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Thank you so very much Belinda–
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Dramatic and moving–what I like best here is the pace, which not only doesn’t flag but also accelerates through to the end in the “And sometimes…” lines.
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Thanks so much, David–not sure how I missed this comment–oh, wait. yeah I am…opened a restaurant on March 22nd….the rest is a bit of a blur….kind of lost pace with my self…
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Hey Dad,
I really like the post,
although I don’t exactly understand it.
The photo is really cool 🙂
Love you!
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Thank you, darling–
One does not have to understand in order to appreciate. Some of my favorite poems are not fully understood by me!
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“We pull words from a pool
like pebbles to hold in our hands
for a time and toss back.” what a true but unique way to describe,
simply epic
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Thank you so much. Tanveer–you are very kind to say so.
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🙂 one’s thinks about other the way he or she is self:) you are kind yourself my dear, i wish and hope this friendliness gets stronger
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