does breaking mirrors
really alter my features?
looking glass-cripple
Looking Glass‑Cripple
The mirror fractures,
seven years of superstition
scattering across the tiles.
Does the face fracture too?
Or only the certainty that
one surface could hold it whole?
Each shard insists on
a different me:
one with a crooked grin,
one with eyes too wide,
one already fading at the edges.
I gather them like evidence,
a jury of splinters
deliberating my likeness.
The question lingers—
is the wound in the glass
or in the gaze?
Looking glass‑cripple,
I learn to walk with
reflections that limp beside me,
each step a reminder
that identity is less a portrait
than a mosaic— sharp, uneven,
yet still catching the light.
.
.
-
Author:
crypticbard (Pseudonym) (
Offline) - Published: February 17th, 2026 05:27
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 11
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Comments7
This poem itself a mosaic. We are all made of many pieces unified. Sometimes in our cracks apparent flaws appear but are they us or just the perceptions that outside eyes hold. A lovely write so deep in metaphor my friend
Glad to hear your take always dear friend🕊️🙏🏻
My pleasure Cryptic
Hey, my friend, this cuts deep—like staring at yourself through broken glass.
I love how you turn fracture into form, jagged pieces that still carry your light.
Thanks dear Thomas, that is definitely what it feels like🕊️🙏🏻
Good write A.
Thank O🕊️🙏🏻
Well written. Your poem explores the complexities of identity and self-perception, suggesting that our understanding of ourselves is fragmented and influenced by external reflections.
We but need to gather the vagabond pieces together 🕊️🙏🏻
My friend, this is piercing and beautifully controlled. It feels fragile without being weak. The fracture imagery carries emotional weight from start to finish. That final turn toward mosaic instead of portrait lands with quiet strength. Powerful piece, Rik. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
I remember a Chinese saying that says we all have three selves: The one we project to people. The one they receive. And the one that we really are. And then there's Satre's ' Hell is other people'. But that is getting deep. Good one.
They’re not wrong there! 🕊️🙏🏻
Fine words Rik but what many do not realise is that when you look into a mirror you see the reverse of yourself.
Andy
The flipped side, indeed🕊️🙏🏻😊
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