A photograph:
a broken mirror lying on a chair
the shards of it
reflecting her
there
with the camera
catching herself
in fifty shattered pieces.
someone said it was 'art'-
it wasn't a lie.
He just didn't know
why
this image haunted him -
faded
but wouldn't die
the years focused him
his love had burned bright.
it sought reflection.
Became the object of its own desire .
She'd tried to return it
but couldn't fit the lie
it had become.
The mirror that she was -
cracked .
Rejection .
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Comments?
Sorry, you cannot respond to an archived poemReviews
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Reflective!
Am I right believing that this poem was written about a relationship that was long over? And that the he had loved an artist who was unable to love him in return?
The image of the shattered mirror and this woman seeing herself reflected back fifty time fascinates me for some reason.
This is a lovely, thoughtful piece.. Rewarded 4
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Focused!
Spot on ! That same image fascinated him for years - still does. He was happy to find the image supplied. Is it his imagination or can you see the figure of a woman in a skirt in the broken pieces ( jig-saw fashion ) ? Have you ever thought a love affair was more about projection than communication ? Do we see what we want no matter how much it involves twisting the real image? These are the thoughts that old image has inspired . Thanks for the comment and the good catch ! W.
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Well written
This is so well written, I love your work it is always well written and presented.....
I did however find that the title although related to the piece let it down.. I would personally have given it the title 'cracked rejection' but that is my personal choice.....
The poem leads you further into the mystery of the piece and finally with the last word gives you the closure..
17 his love had burned bright
18 and sought reflection
19 the object of its own desire .
These three lines puzzle me somewhat.. I have read and re read them and still they puzzle me. If I had written this I would have written them like this;
still his love burned bright
seeking reflection
the object of his desire
but again that is a personal choice but I think it would work better... All in all I tyhink this is a well written, well thought out piece..........
Hugs linda
. Rewarded 4
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Thanks..
...for a very detailed and thoughtful review and for your kind words. Perhaps if I explain the meaning of the lines about love being the object of its own desire, you'll see them differently and understand the title a bit better.I think sometimes people are a love-affair waiting to happen, like a huge charge of positive electricity looking for an earth . Then they meet someone - almost anyone - and ZAP! they're in love , no matter how unsuitable the object of their love. "love the object of its own desire". Also there are some people who attract others be telling them exactly what they think they want to hear - these make great lightning rods - for a little while at least. They are particularly attractive to the 'love-affair-waiting-to-happen' types . Ultimately both parties have to become themselves though - and then the cracks appear. " the mirror crack'd" or 'Broken Mirror' . Its a lot to try and say in a few words. Hopefully it's poetry. Anyone who's been there would 'get it ' - I hope !
Thanks again for taking the time. W.
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now windhover this is one of those pieces that only the writer would be able to truly understand what is being said.
now i looked at your comments and found that it was difficult ot get the meaning of wat you said from the poem.
i'm not saying it is obscure but the true meaning that you wish to convey to the reader is not clear.
the reader would more or less try to decipher his own meaning based on their experiences.( THEN YOU WOULD SAY THAT IS POETRY .NOT SO?)
for instance-
the first stanza calls to mind a break up-
the stage where you rip up all pictures that remotely remind of that sTate of sheer bliss that you once were in- a reflecion of before.
now the second stanza i see an artist so overwhelmed with emotion that everything he does he sees her images in them. a sad memory. one that controls his life and his work.
i'm on the last stanza and it seems as though the poem is upside down..lol
the last stanza is clear cut- love and rejection.
my review is biased because i read your comments and now even if i'm trying to make my own on this its impossibel cuz i already know what it means.
all in all its great.
before i read your comments i thoough that it was to riddled with imagery and it jumped form one scene to the next without even a heads up. i was lost in it and couldnt find the focus.
now i see that that may have been your intention. like a broken mirror its hard to really set your eye on one particular image.
anywho i prob might go on and on about this so i'm gonna rate you now.. Rewarded 4
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Glad I can seem so mysterious!
The first stanza probably looks like a metaphor. But it isn't . It's a description of a real photograph not too unlike the one illustrated. The rest of the poem is an attempt to relate the process of working out why that photo haunted me for a long while . The possibility for multiple interpretations was not intentional - but I'll take any credit that's going!
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I like, the idea of this guy watching someone take a photograph and being haunted by the image, it's very nice.
I think, juast a couple of things... I'd get rid of the exclamation mark line 10, simply because it's hard to use exclamation marks without them looking childlike and insincere. Um, oh yeah, also watch vocab "spoke to him of doom" is incredibly clunky, and rather standard angst poetry language.
I think the first stanza is the best, it's just such a great image. Maybe if you put a colon at the end of line 1 instead of a full stop it might be clearer? Dunno.
Only other thing really, is soemthing you're unlikely to change, but, with the turn at the end of the poem you have "but the mirror crak'd - rejection", as if this was a shock and a change, which is fine, and while it sounds great, in terms of your imagery, the mirror was cracked already, which makes the line seem a bit strange.. Rewarded 4
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Really made me look at this one again.
I've re-worked this one a lot in response to your ( lorek's ) critique . Most responses to this one have been positive but it seems to be a little confusing. So , over and above adopting the specific changes you suggested, I re-worked the last stanza significantly. Does make the meaning any clearer ?
Once again an outstandingly sharp and frank review , very much appreciated. W.
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wow i really like this
I really liked the way you incorperated so many metaphors and conciets into the poem. It reminds me a little bit of Sylvia Plath's poem "Mirror" , not just because of the name, but because of what a mirror is and what purpose it serves. I dont pretend to know exactly what you meant by this poem because i dont believe that anyone but the poet can truly understand his/her poems and thier implications but it really was written well.. Rewarded 1
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Thanks so much.
this poem had a great start because of the image that inspired it ( someone said it was 'art' - it wasn't a lie ) The artist in question photographed herself in the fragments of a broken mirror . I always thought it was a great photo with significance for a relationship that never really was . Took years to hang an interpretation on it though. Maybe it's poetic that this poem seems to be mysterious. I like that idea but I didn't intend it . Like I'm not sure that she intended the photo to have so much meaning. But maybe.... I love that sort of stuff , don't you !
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May 20, 2006