mirror
I submitted this poem to The Guardian Poetry Workshop for September 2008, hosted by poet Michael Symmons Roberts. He asked participants to write "a self-portrait from unusual angles".
My submission wasn't short-listed or appraised, but in the spirit of the month, here's my effort. :)
image from imageafter.com
mirror
they said
if you bite
an apple
at exactly
midnight
in a darkened room
lighted up
by just
a candle
and stare
into a mirror
you will see
your future wife
but
i do not
have the guts
to do that
i fear
what else
i may see
in the glass
and even if
somehow i have
the courage plucked
all i see
will be
a frightened man...
0121 hrs 05/10/08
*****************
© cheong lee san ( dsnake1 )
My submission wasn't short-listed or appraised, but in the spirit of the month, here's my effort. :)
image from imageafter.com
mirror
they said
if you bite
an apple
at exactly
midnight
in a darkened room
lighted up
by just
a candle
and stare
into a mirror
you will see
your future wife
but
i do not
have the guts
to do that
i fear
what else
i may see
in the glass
and even if
somehow i have
the courage plucked
all i see
will be
a frightened man...
0121 hrs 05/10/08
*****************
© cheong lee san ( dsnake1 )
posted by dsnake1 at 12:31 AM
14 Comments:
well, for me your words conjure up somebody ruled by fears and superstitions... it's a powerful image but i doubt that's you ;)
:D
it's an old chinese myth/urban legend and i do not want to find out if it works or not :)
I could see someone doing just that!
Interesting myth. So what does one do to see one's future husband?! Not that I want/wish for one!
*Grin*
not me!
umm, can't help you on this. :D
Oh my, very chilling!
so vivid, perhaps I shall avoid mirrors today. :)
:D
thanks for visiting, witshewoman!
Riveting. (I'm alone in my room, reading this. The scare factor is definitely on. Eep.)
There's a superstition in my country, similar to this myth; though it does not involve biting an apple, it 'works' by lighting the candle at midnight of May Day Eve, and asking an antique mirror to show the image of one's future husband/wife. Then there's a sort of counter-superstition which goes to state that whoever 'answers' the question is actually a demon, who will show his own image on the mirror instead.
Brrr. This gives me shivers. (grin)
Eeeww! :)
perhaps most Asian cultures have animistic roots, there's why such superstitions arise.
:) i like that!
thank you, magiceye!
Mirror, mirror on the wall...can't you fudge the truth once in awhile. Most of us fog the mirror to avoid the truth. Love the honesty in this one.
Pat, you're back! so glad to hear from you!
this piece is supposed to be a "self portrait from an unusual angle". turns out to be pretty dark. :)
Reflections of your future
as you chomp into the "fruits of passion?" :)
I much prefer seeing a potential mate via candle light than a ghostly apparition. Glad you explained this origin in your comments!
hi GEL,
so nice to hear from you! :)
i thought working the poem around a superstition would be an interesting angle. :)
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