Mirage
by Carolyn Glackin
She’s an enigma
A tale well told
Impossible to know
Yet a vision to behold
She’s the great mystery
That burns through the ages
Defying all truths
Stupefying sages
As elusive as
That hint of a dream
That flees when you awaken
But also every bit as real
As each breath you’ve ever taken
She’s as subtle as mist
Or a shy first time kiss
She’ll slip between your fingers
Yet even after she’s long, long gone
Something about her lingers
She’ll leave you perplexed
With your heart in a wreck
And your mind
In a state of confusion
‘Til you reach the point
Where you no longer know
If she’s real or just an illusion
And while you’re trying
To sort all that out
She’ll suddenly reappear
But just long enough
To make you wonder
If she ever was actually there
A hint of her smile
Will linger a while
As her name plays
On your lips
And just as you’re
About to recall it
It fades beyond your grip
And part of the lure
That attracts you to her
Is the way that
She keeps her distance
She’ll never allow you
To get very close
Despite your ongoing insistence
So try as you may
You’ll discover one day
That it’s best
To give her some space
‘Cause if you push her too far
She’ll take off for good
And you’ll never more see her face
So just let her be
The way that she is
She exists as both
Truth and fiction
A puzzle, a riddle, a paradox
She’s a beautiful contradiction.
Copyright Carolyn Glackin 2018.
*Image credited to Angela de la Agua.