Mirror Mirror On The Wall
Why must you be so candid,
so cruel? Why can’t you censor
the inexorable passage of time?
Why couldn’t you
veil harsh reality,
soften the image,
blur the lines
between fiction and fact,
function more like a mirror animated by Disney,
project magic, and with a single glance transform me
into a princess, pretty as a portrait, and transport me to a dance
at the prince’s grand palace? Oh, Mirror, Mirror on the wall,
why do you frown on fantasy?
Why be such a stickler for reflecting
every flaw, every wrinkle, every blemish,
without regard for the viewer’s vanity.
Consider my feelings.
Consider the totality
of my humanity.
Why only reflect what’s skin deep?
Do you lack imagination?
Is there a crack in your perception?
Why can’t you display the vast array
of attractive characteristics that exist
beneath the surface?
Oh, Mirror, Mirror on the wall,
there’s so much more to me
than meets the eye.
Kindly reflect on that!
For The Defense
Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth…?
Oh, no, no, no, no, Your Honor. I relish embellishment.
Wishful thinking informs my testimony, not as duplicity,
but as tried-and-true survival tactic. I prefer to fabricate
far-fetched fables, sandpaper the sharp-edges of facts,
furnish fictional statistics, colorfully crayon the plot
of what might otherwise sound like a shady history.
Please view my responses as Magritte inspired,
rather than as Salvador Dali surrealistic
distortion. My version of “What is”
riffs on reality. With feet on the ground,
and head in the clouds, my testimony
lies in imaginative vocabulary
that creates a picture of
a law-abiding citizen.
That’s my story, Your Honor,
and although embroidered with
idiosyncratic contradictions,
I intend to stick to it,
refuse to amend it,
plead not guilty
to charges of
perjury, and trust
you’ll find my position justifiable,
and with this as closing statement,
I request that case be dismissed.
Defense rests…