Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Theme Thursday: Mirrors

How often has she consulted the mirror,

To sort out her hair, visage or clothing, smoothing skin, eyes or fabric with practised hands, a ritual so ingrained it no longer bears consideration.

Free of the mask donned for others, the face she meets today leaves her searching for signs of dreams traded or reluctantly forgotten, love tamped down by complications, then lost amid banalities.

Reflections of a life no longer hers to claim.

31 comments:

Anonymous said...

So oft one wants to be rid of the projected mask...I glad in that I've never worn one ;) Wonderful take on the theme, e~~HUGS to ya!

Brian Miller said...

love this little snippet...dawning self awareness though a hint of sadness maybe at what has been lost....

happy tt!

Leah said...

The bare self contained in one's reflection--this is perfectly done.

Alan Burnett said...

Lovely little piece. Such economy of words, such a wealth of feeling.

Jazz said...

Wow.

That blew me away.

e said...

Hello All;

Subby: We all wear masks of some kind, though much depends upon the circumstances...

Brian: More like dawning discomfort, and yes, sadness, though the subject of the piece is loathe to admit it...Thanks!

Kat: I appreciate your observations, and I think you're spot-on about the "looking."

Leah: Thanks! I so rarely do anything perfectly, really, that's a lovely thing to say.

AB: Thank you, kind sir!

Jazz: If I can manage to blow you away, my job is done...Thanks for stopping by.

Nanc Twop said...

You've captured that moment when people look beyond the mere reflection on the surface.

Nice one.

Anonymous said...

Sometimes people do become so accustomed to the mask, it's hard to see the true self...or maybe they don't want to. Very interesting words.

Anonymous said...

Sometimes one does become so accustomed to the mask, that they can't remove it...or don't want to. Interesting words for thought.

Dreamhaven said...

Time is, time was, time yet to be. They all show up in your mirror

Jasmine said...

So sad, yet so true, life is one series of compromises. I hope were hers worth it?

Harnett-Hargrove said...

What part of our memories are part of others' as well? -j

Tom said...

this is the best thing i read all day. and reread. Is it, how often do we look and not see, or just ho hum--another day in paradise.

i'm going back in for another read.

studioJudith said...

"reflections of a life no longer
hers to claim"

Now that hits home.

Jjj

Janice said...

Nicely done....I loved the phrase "love tamped down by complications". How often that happens. And that mask...oh,yeah. Lots to ponder in this piece.

Ariel said...

What you said is absolutely true.Most often what is reflected of us or others is just a mask or a different persona.
Thank you for peeping into 'ariel'.

nanny said...

Mirrors.....who suggested this????ha
Good topic....happy TT

Betsy Brock said...

brief and powerful...very nice!

Barbara said...

Well done!

There are many times when I don't want to study the mirror too closely for fear I will be forced to acknowledge another wrinkle or sign that time is passing. I prefer to look at old photos instead.

C.M. Jackson said...

beautiful---I want to tell her all's not lost and it is just beginning just in a different way..well done! c

JeffScape said...

Uh oh... I'll try not to be banal anymore, e!

And, yes, definitely get your butt back into writing prolifically!

tattytiara said...

What a rabbit hole of a post. So little on the surface and yet so labyrinthine once you stick your head in.

nick said...

Sounds rather sad to me. Dreams and love tarnished by complications and banalities, and a life she no longer has control over. A bit desperate in fact. Please tell me things took a turn for the better!

Unknown said...

Beautiful!

Tanna said...

Life can chip away our dreams over time without our even noticing... in becoming aware, can we change some of that?

Candie said...

That's sad but really well written but we always have the control of our heart.

Baino said...

I wear one to work every day but weekends are a different thing. Some very sad mirror posts this week. I don't look at my reflection in any way other than to make sure I don't smudge my mascara!

mouse (aka kimy) said...

hugs sweet e

Unknown said...

Sad but so honest and true.
Bravo!
Mine is here

http://justmeshakirack.blogspot.com/2010/02/mirrors-of-my-life-thursday-theme.html

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
and
GONG XI FA CAI!
(means WISHING YOU PROSPERITY! in Mandarin, Chinese)

hugs
shakira

lettuce said...

this is so evocative

its a strange feeling sometimes, really looking at oneself in a mirror

tony said...

Its A Fair Point.How Often Do We Look In A Mirror Out Of Habit, But Not Actually See! (I feel guilty!!!)