Mirrors and Escape Routes

A poem about dark desires, inspired by artwork and music

Your most powerful possession Your most cherished indiscretion A victim of your lies I’ll stay with you until your sun dies

The pain of the hopeless expectations Shines brightly though our wounded limitations Without a sky or wings strong enough to fly Where will we turn to when we cry?

I am still here if you need me Sheltered behind the barren tree If we could exchange more than a frozen breath The whip would stop our untimely death

I’ll force you to open your eyes To acknowledge all that my voice implies Eliciting your most lustful and dreaded confession I’ve always been your darkest and filthiest obsession

This poem was inspired by the artwork above, which was created by Gustave Deresse; Writer & AI Artist.

I also used Gustave’s track “The Stage is Yours” for further inspiration.

When I saw Gustave’s artwork, I thought about how we look at ourselves through the relationships we form.

There is always some kind of a power play going on, but the ultimate power play is between all the versions of the Self.

I had written some of this poem’s verses while looking at the artwork for the first time. There was a Kafkaesque quality to it that attracted me. It all clicked though when I listened to “The Stage is Yours”. It was as if the rest of the verses wrote themselves.

In the end, I think that the most alluring power play is between two or more people who have faced the mirrors of their souls and dared to ask the deepest questions.

Then, there’s no power. Only play.