Inconstant Youth and Lover (Poetry)

First published in Word Craft Issue 14 Winter 1984

I stare at the pale mirror
and coldly it stares back
impassively but wondering
which one of us will crack.
That image once ensnared you
so which one did you see —
the real or the reflection
when you last looked at me?

But did you ever see me
or take the time to spend
peeling back the layers —
that lavish made-up blend
of pseudo youth and fashion
disguising age with cream
whilst mentally I foundered
in the limbo years between.

Then you vanished like a vision,
extinguished like a light
and I crumpled at your going,
too bereaved to even fight
this overdue transition
I determined to ignore
when youth flew out the window
as age crept through the door.

Marking time in wrinkles
and the sagging flesh I fear
whilst taunting every mirror
but I never stand too near —
always keeping a safe distance,
seeking courage that I lack
so evade the nagging question —
who will be the first to crack?