22 January 2024

I decided I would try to write a poem a week. I’ve liked the idea of it, written some poems in the past. I haven’t quite lived up to that goal; March was crazy busy with a lot of personal stuff, and I barely wrote anything at all. But I’ve done better than I feared. And I’m quite fond of this one, though I don’t think it matches any specific formula. This particular poem was inspired by a post on the Elsewhere University tumblr I saw, in the item exchange series.

Once, in fair trade,

The greatest of friends of friends did I gain

Found in a glass

Silver-back, hand wide,

Thus neither of us would pass through

Days we spun tales,

Glories and mundanities both

And I counted dear

The quiet times passed

Spent with my reflection and I

Alas, then dropped

Reflection now shattered to bits

Some cruel, some sharp

Not a one kind

And no way to return them whole

Be wary, dear friend,

Though gladly I’ll sell

This mirror brings its own thorns