my mirror has a dark small animal inside it
sometimes it pokes out its snout just the tip of its nose it's
smelling the world to see if it's safe it's got curious eyes and
swivelling ears it's furry with little white teeth it's afraid of
everything it's particularly afraid of loud noises and bright
lights and it hates being seen it's at its best at night that's
when it come out though it never comes right out just pokes its
nose round the edge of the mirror & sniffs and if it's safe it
sits there quivering a few minutes but the slightest noise will
send it back in
when it's hiding you almost can't see it at all it's the same
colour as the mirror it's not only hiding from me of course but
from the thing inside the mirror the thing it shares the mirror
with the strutting thing it's terrified of the strutting thing
when the strutting thing is doing its stuff the dark small animal
makes itself into something very unimportant and doesn't move at
all it doesn't make a sound
can't see why they have to be in there together it doesn't seem
fair to the dark small animal though i suppose it doesn't matter
to the strutting thing which just carries on doing its i'm me
you're rubbish stuff being a real pain but i suppose it has its
uses must have really when you come to think of it these things
don't get put in the same place by accident do they?
there's this grande dame in there too sort of a leftover from
better days she pretends she's alone doesn't take any notice of
anyone else doesn't see what she doesn't want to see but there
you are some people are like that they make the world in their
own image and good luck to them it's a lot more comfortable that
way isn't it?
oh and there's the accountant he calculates everything how long
how wide how frequent how deep he divides everything up and adds
it back together again he's a lot madder than the old dame you
can tell she doesn't like him she snubs him but at least she
admits he's there
musn't forget the grasshopper well who could forget the
grasshopper sometimes it jumps right out of the mirror and can't
find its way back it's always here tomorrow and gone today and
leaping before it looks but it's the only one the dark small
animal isn't afraid of
and there's the clown he does his falling-over act and the thing
with the paint but no one laughs any more maybe he needs a new
routine he does his best sometimes he teams up with the bear but
what could be sadder than a performing bear it's tragic really
him and the bear oh and the contortionist too and the painted
lady but there you are that's show business
the mirror does get crowded yes and there are lots of others in
there i haven't mentioned but the trick is to see through them or
at least round them it isn't easy you have to be careful you
don't stir them up or they'll all start -
the small dark animal scurrying for cover the strutting thing
waving its arms the grande dame complaining the accountant
whingeing the grasshopper pinging off the mirror the clown
slapping himself in the face with the brush the bear growling the
contortionist tying herself in knots and the painted lady
bursting into tears
but if you sneak up quietly keep very still let your mind go
loose until the mirror softens you can just make out a face my
face that is my face the one that's been in there for so long
looking out remembering remembering
how peaceful it used to be before the mirror became so full