Poems for Weekly Challenge

Old Man in the Mirror Must Die

Old man in the mirror must die

Old Man in the Mirror Must Die
THE OLD MAN IN THE MIRROR MUST DIE

One early winter morning
A man went to the mirror
To do his morning shave
Just another shave
Like a thousand, million shaves before

As he looked into the mirror
He did not see his face
Instead he saw a stranger
Staring out at him

An old, beat up old man
With intense sad eyes
Stared out at him

The man looked hard
At the man who had taken
Over his mirror

And wondered who he was
And how and why
He had taken over his mirror

The man was perturbed, disturbed
And a bit angry at the turn of events
All he wanted to do
Was shave in peace and quiet

The man continued to stare
At the face in the mirror
And finally could not stand it anymore

He looked at the mirror
And said,
Man in the mirror
Who or what are you
And what do you want
And why have you taken over
My god damned mirror
So early in the morn

The old man
Merely laughed and resumed staring
At the man
The man getting more and more angry
Demanded an answer
From the fiend in the mirror

Who are you, you mocking fiend
And what do you want from me
The man screamed

The old man in the mirror
Looked at him and said
Don't you know who I am
I am you and you are me

The man looked at the old man
And said no, no, no
I am not you, never will be you
I am not an old, washed up old man
I am me – full of life, youth and vitality

And yet the man knew the truth
Did not want to admit the truth
Could not handle the truth
The old man in the mirror
Was what he had become

The man was very angry
And screamed
At the old man in the mirror

The man said you may look like me
You may sound like me
You may even smell like me

But I am not you
Never have been
Never will be
Not going to happen
Not in a million years

The man yelled at the old man
Old man, mocking fiend from hell
Go to hell old man
And never darken my mirror again

And the man stormed out of the house
And wandered about here and there
Finally late at night
He wandered into a bar
And began drinking the night away

The man went up to some pretty young things
And tried to pick them up
They laughed at him
Called him a dirty old man
And told him to go home

The man went home
To bed alone
And drank some more beer
And dreamt of all of his past loves
And failed dreams

Of what he had done
And failed to do
And wondered whether his time
Had come

The next morning
He walked into the bathroom
Determined to confront the old man
Tell truth to power

He said, listen up, old man
You may have won the war
But not the battle
I am not you
And never will be you

And screaming like an escaped banshee
Newly freed from the mental institution
The man shot the old man in the mirror
Shot him over and over
Screaming die mocking fiend from hell

The man woke in the hospital
An old black doctor came over
Said sadly
This white boy ain't right in the head

The man laughed insanely
And saw down the hall
The old man in the mirror
Smiling and beckoning to him
Walking out the window
And into the dawning sun

The man got up and walked
And joined the old man in the mirror
And smiled as he died

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