Reversed Perspective

The haughty man faced the mirror
to straighten up his tie,
but as he pulled upon the cloth,
something caught his eye.

It was just a fleeting thing
buried deep inside.
Could others see that secret that
he'd tried his best to hide?

How long would mirrors last if
they tried to show the truth?
How much does the psyche hide
from those who are uncouth?

Were all his dealings legitimate?
Were any gained by stealth?
Was anyone hurt along the way
resulting in his wealth?

If he was on the other side,
what image would he see?
Would it be that pleasant one
presented externally?

He looked down at the makeup stand
where framed pictures stood;
and noticed his was the biggest.
And looked all right to him.

Suddenly the entire room grew dark
As from below a vapour
enfolded all around him till
he could see no more.

Time and space became indistinct,
knew not what he was seeing.
A tingling feeling of detachment
beset his entire being.

He looked down again and viewed
make up stand below
but everything was in reverse
except his recent photo.

He did not like the face he saw
the slyness hiding there
behind deception and deceit;
eyes that did not care.

He reached out and felt the glass
in whose realm he was sealed
His shrieks for help just echoed
in the silent atmosphere.

His wife came in to preen a bit,
brushed and fluffed her hair.
Her lipstick she calmly touched up
but never saw him there.

"I'm here! I'm here!" he screamed at her,
but not a sound escaped
his two dimensional glassy plane
of shiny reflecting plate.

And so locked in infinity
To escape his fate,
he rued his life of avarice
but it was way too late.