The Mirror

Gaze intently into the mirror
Look upon a pale existence
Is it not beautiful, this reflected image?
No, not this furrowed visage, lined by agonies of time

Ask then of this window to your soul
This cruel glass that shows all flaws
How long must I show these marks of failed journeys?
The journeys the heart must make, or surely perish

No answer, just the staring face of defeat
Glimpsed over my shoulder
The laughing spectre of a lonely spirit
That fades and dies away, leaving only my reflection.