I see her through the steam settling on tiles and glass, obscuring their usual gleam; she has no definition, no face until I wipe the surface clear. Her face is a mirror – I take a breath – understand that we share this face beyond death. Kim M. Russell, 15th May 2023
Image by Ria Alfana on Unsplash
This Monday we are writing quadrilles at the dVerse Poets Pub and our host, Merril, has chosen the word ‘mirror’ to include in our forty-four word poems.
She says that it may be ‘a prerequisite for poets to be fascinated by mirrors and reflections’, as mirrors can be magical, as in Tennyson’s ‘The Lady of Shalott’, who can only view Camelot through the reflections in her mirror. They can also be truthful, as in Sylvia Plath’s poem ‘Mirror’ that speaks in its own voice. She has provided a link to further mirror poems.
Merril has also reminded us about the two chances to join OLN LIVE this month: on Thursday, May 18, from 3 to 4 PM EST and Saturday, May 20, from 10 to 11 AM EST. We may still link one poem as usual for OLN (Open Link Night) even if we can’t attend a live session.
writing in north norfolk 
Powerful *reflections* 🙏
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Thank you so much!
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This is almost like a ghost story… such a vivid apparition
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Thank you, Björn! That’s what I was aiming for.
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Oh, so well-done, Kim!
“understand that we share
this face beyond death. “
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Thank you, Merril. I suppose it can be read in two ways: as Björn said, as a ghost story, or as the woman looking in the mirror seeing her mother looking back at her.
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I was thinking of the mother, as that was my original idea for a poem. (I feel like a look more and more like mine.) But I also wondered about a ghost.
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I wrote a poem about my mum’s face in the mirror back in 2018. But it has 64 words and I wanted to write a new poem.
https://writinginnorthnorfolk.com/2018/04/15/self-portrait-in-front-of-a-misty-mirror/
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This is deliciously woven, Kim! I admire the depth in your words and the image; “she has no definition, no face until I wipe the surface clear.” ❤️❤️❤️
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Thanks so much Sanaa!
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Wow, Kim, I was not expecting that… how intense…
❤
David
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Thanks David!
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This is quite unsettling Kim.
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It is!
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Refkection what do they really want to tell us?
Nice one Kim.
Much💖love
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Thank you, Gillena, and much love to you,
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Earth shaking last line. :-0
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Thank you Susan.
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I think she’s surprised by her mother’s (even grandmother’s?) face staring back at her in mirror!
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I think so, Lynn.
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Very nicely done. We do become our parents it seems! At least in the mirror!
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Thank you, Dwight. My mother has been haunting me lately; I had a vivid dream about in the early hours of this morning.
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They never quite go away it seems. Always a part of who you are.
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understand that we share
this face beyond death
We carry the same reflection when meeting later our Maker! Great posting Kim!
Hank
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Cheers Hank!
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An interesting poem. Well done.
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Thank you Maria!
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A forever face. Interesting and spooky. I enjoyed it.
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Thank you!
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That is an ominous mirror Kim. (K)
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It depends how you look at it, Kerfe.
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Everything depends on context in the end.
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I really enjoyed the way you wrote about this fogged up mirror.
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Thank you so much for reading and commenting, Nicole.
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A haunting image a reflection that carries beyond the here and now.
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Thank you Trudessa.
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oh my Kim! when i catch my father in me, it is such a surprise. and a gift too really. much love on this one.
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Thank you Eric!
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stunning write. I sometimes see my father looking back at me. truly enjoyed this
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Thank you kindly, Rog. I see both my mother and my grandmother.
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♥️
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It can be unsettling to see our parent’s face (depending on our gender) peering at us as we look into the mirror. A ghost or mom…who knows!
I enjoyed this, Kim.
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Thank you, Punam. I see my mum and sometimes my grandmother every day.
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You are welcome, Kim. I guess as we grow older we do see our mums or grandmothers in us.
I recently visited my older sister after months and was startled to notice she has started looking like our mom.
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I read it as a ghost story Kim, but it can be something else too. Looking in a mirror is subjective after all. I loved this ☺️💕
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Thanks Christine!
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It’s one aspect of how we look, maybe not all of them, but I wonder if the face in the mirror is the most honest one?
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Good question, Jane.
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A mighty powerful and positive way to begin this quadrille ~~ I see her. Love it.
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Thank you, Helen!
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That insight of life beyond, a shift in perception, moving.
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Thank you Paul!
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Pleasure 🙂
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We see our past in the mirror reflected on our face… all those ancestors helped create the mastery of you! This was lovely, Kim.
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Thank you, Colleen!
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You’ve captured a very cool moment in time and beyond. Great poem Kim!
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Thank you Chris!
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Ah yes, somehow it always comes as a surprise, no matter how often repeated.
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Just what I thought this morning, Rosemary.
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There is a sense of peace in deep acceptance here, for me. A tenderness about the shared features of our own face(s), mirrored.
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Thanks for reading and commenting, Kathy.
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