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.