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Patris's avatar

I meet my mother grandmother and my aunts in the mirror now. The ‘end of all our exploring’, right? We come to the beginning and ‘know it for the first time.’ At 19 I knew it was truth. Even more truth now.

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Russell C. Smith's avatar

I remember reading this poem when I was younger. For me, it's about how we rarely feel as old as our physical age. And with our minds, memories, imaginings we're often seeing life through the eyes of our younger selves.

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Sloan Bashinsky's avatar

And all along since early 1987, when angels known in the Bible grabbed me and stood me before endless mirrors, looking a me, looking at me, looking at me, ugh, looking at me, ugh - was a message that the mirror was, is, humanity's cure, if it will use it :-).

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monsters and men's avatar

That is an interesting perspective I didn’t think about, but now that you mentioned it, it makes all the sense in the world 😃 I saw the poem as an invitation to liberate ourselves from what we think we know about us and live beyond the limitations/weaknesses that the mirror reveals. On the other hand the mirror can reveal our fouls as you well pointed out

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Sloan Bashinsky's avatar

The mirror reveals the monsters in men and in women, as well as any good qualities they do not see in themselves.

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Sue Cauhape's avatar

I see it as a chance to have a conversation with yourself: hello beautiful, what marvelous mischief is in store for you today? what gifts shall you bring to the party to make people laugh and love themselves. Only when they love themselves can they love others.

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Sloan Bashinsky's avatar

That, too. And yet, until they, and we, see the monster sides of ourselves, and deal with that, do we even know ourselves?

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monsters and men's avatar

Sometimes not being aware where our limits are, can make us push further beyond what we would normally dare to try. “Looking in the mirror” and reminding ourselves about what we can and what we can not do might be rather a set back in our endeavor. So from this perspective maybe forgetting about the mirror would help. On the other hand just as you said, it reveals some of the wicked corners of our personality. So in your opinion, should we break the mirror or not? 😃

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Sloan Bashinsky's avatar

I think if we break the mirror, we are the loser, we weenie out.

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monsters and men's avatar

Beautiful thought, yet to save the world when the world doesn’t want to be saved might be an heartbreaking attempt… break that mirror to save yourself and later share a bit of the wisdom you acquired this way to the others too (that is how I see it at least)

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Dian Parker's avatar

Oh, I love this so much! The levity and wisdom, the joy of living a long life. At one time, I didn’t look in a mirror for 10 years, imagining myself forever young. I recommend it. This poem, and the photograph, speaks truth. Thank you.

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