100 Real People: Poems, Short-form writing and original photography - every two days. Come on in and give it a go. Trying to find something new.

Reflecting or projecting

Jul 21, 2023

This journey: only a perspective jaunt towards our vanishing points.

Staring contest. Who blinks first? Breaking the spell, connection dispersed.

Something’s not right, the face mirrored back’s a real sight.

Back to front, right is left, driving’s a complete mess.

This thin veil where both sides exist: nothing is real.

You walked straight forwards and disappeared into your own reflection.

The twin I am never without occasionally making an appearance.

Blurring what’s in front and behind, to a perfect palimpsest.

Fluctuating focuses hide what might, or might not, be there.

It’s likely not only projection that’s reflected in your direction.

2 Comments

Jul 21Liked by Richard Partridge

I think that I see some visual Zen koans here. Hmm.....

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Jul 23·edited Jul 23

The mirror is the entry to the underworld. So said Jean Cocteau. And so said the devil to me, as I saw him emerge one day from a mirror.

But it's only the entry. The underworld itself lies far deeper. There, everything is only too real.