Why Mirror

[Random moment. Afternoon. Mildly desperate. I thought I couldn’t see him. I thought he had gone somewhere. But he was here, near me. Maybe, even, briefly, he was I. Maybe that’s why he could be missed.]

Eureka! Now I know

What the Parrot saw.

It’s neither understanding

Nor interpretation

He sought in his reflection.

So great is his mistrust

In others’ words that only

By staring back himself

He’s sure he’s still alive

and hasn’t turned to dust

And been windblown away.

Creature made of spirit:

Most volatile substance

That can be found in nature.

He doesn’t have his gaze

To scare away the others,

But for he is in constant fear

And trembles, trembles so

That were he not to stare his face

Every single moment,

Were he not to have a watch

To count his every heartbeat,

His heart would stop; he would dissolve.

No, he’d never risk it.

This one is not a predator:

He is the Terror’s prey.