Reflections in the Corner
By Sabryn Egli ’25
ENGL 140: Intro to Creative Writing
For this assignment, students were asked to write a poem describing an unusual material object. In the best of these poems, careful depiction of the object merges with storytelling and the creation or re-creation of vivid memories. For her poem, Sabryn chose the vanity mirror on her desk. While I usually warn students away from a non-human point of view, Sabryn pulls it off. Part of the reason, I think, is that mirrors hold such a unique place in our minds as both an object and somehow not an object. What is our “reflection” after all? I also appreciate Sabryn’s experimentation with the design and structure of her stanzas; the two columns function as a stand-in for the mirror and its reflection.
-Dr. Lance Dyzak
A silent figure in
the corner,
your glass critic, your worst enemy. No
one likes me.
I take without giving,
feeding insecurities, each
glance cuts deeper,
each moment more revealing.
You face me
eye to eye,
your gaze snagging
on every pore, every
uneven line, as if
I’m a map leading to
a place you’d rather
avoid.
A rebellious volcano, red,
raw,
bubbles beneath,
like a silent confession
ready to burst.
You smear it with “Golden Glow,”
its copper undertone promises warm tones
blooming
under your touch, but
never quite right.
Hours blur,
fading flaws into something I
might finally approve of.
You wish upon me,
but I can’t grant
what you desire.
You compare your reflection
to flawless faces on glowing screens.
Perfection lingers
It’s never
enough, Is it?
You paint,
rub,
layer,
chasing softness,
kindness
something I can’t show you.
Your hands falter,
your shoulders sag,
exhaustion settling
in. Always craving more–
of what?
More reasons to wish
away the truth of who you are? You’re worn
out,
Aren’t you?
Your reflection,
closer to the
truth. One last
look,
a flicker, not of surrender,
but recognition.
You turn away,
leaving me
behind,
motionless in the corner,
still watching,
but quieter
now, as if
waiting,
for the day you return,
not to change
but to see.