Mirrors

Mirrors

By May Kwek

One dark moon lit night

I walked into a room filled with moonlight

And saw a hundred mirrors each standing on stands

Each one deliberately designed by man’s hand

I walked to the first at the side of the place

Held it up and saw a sliver of my face

‘Disabled’, the words on the mirror said

But I didn’t see me so the image I’d trade

I walked to the next by a painting strange

For the faces there always changed

I looked into the mirror and I saw my face

But not my features, my character, just my race

I set the mirror for race down

And next to some prayer beads another one found

‘Religion’ it said, ‘in most the world’

And saw a perfect but unreal girl

I moved on to the drawers and beside a dress

Found a full length mirror straining under stress

I tried on the dress, did a little turn

And saw in the mirror, not a person, just a woman

As I got rid of the outfit something caught my eye

From the moonlight bouncing off a mirror shy

Dusty and broken lying on the floor

I wondered what it was meant for

It was small and simple, but firmly held in place

Just enough to reflect my face

On its edges was carved one word: ‘humanity’

And when I gazed into it I saw me

Copyright © 2016 by May Kwek

A fickle twilight

A fickle twilight

By May Kwek

The deepening shadows

Are the herald of the night

The fading of the sky

Signals the twilight

Everywhere the sights darken

And shadows from their hiding emerge

Sparrows leave the darkening skies

And return home to their perch

The room grows ever darker

In the misty embrace of the night

Grey clouds from above

Cover the sun’s last waning lights

A low hum whispers

The steady beat of rain

Falling swiftly but quietly

Just outside the window pane

Yet the air feels quiet and still

Cool despite the absent wind

And the rain almost glides down

As though it’s always been

Then with a bright flash of lightning

Away disappears all calm

The sun bids a gleeful farewell

And the stormy twilight bids welcome

Copyright © 2016 by May Kwek