Mirror Reflections (poem) by John Herlihy on AuthorsDen

Mirror Reflections
by John Herlihy → (All Poetry by John Herlihy)
Saturday, May 2, 2026 Rated "G" by the Author.

Save

Follow Share on Facebook



Mirror Reflections by John Herlihy Mirror, mirror on the wall, Who is the fairest of them all? Thus spoke the evil queen into the glass, Seeking the name of the most beautiful lass. The Brothers Grimm have the mirror speak, Its telling response has the onlooker feel weak. You, my queen, are fair, it is no doubt true , But Snow White is so much fairer than you. The mirror never lies, only truth does it tell, Casting the onlooker under its mystical spell. The mirror deals with any obsession with beauty, Delegating the wayward passion to mere vanity. People once gazed into pools to see faces whole, The vision understood to be a reflection of soul. In the case of Narcissus, his vanity self-obsession, Resulting in falling in love with his own reflection. In Christian tradition, saints were ‘mirrors of virtue,’ Indicative of the blessed qualities of the highest few. Renaissance painting used mirrors for fine detection, To symbolize knowledge/wisdom, but also deception. In Wilde’s Dorian Gray, the mirror reveals inner self, By deceptively hiding the corruption of the outer self. Lewis Carroll’s looking glass serves as magic gateway, A portal into another world thru this fantasy pathway. Shattered mirrors reflect inner turmoil, broken identity, Loss of wholeness, fragmentation, the collapse of reality. Dorian Gray seeing his image marks the end of illusion, All the evil of the inner self made manifest in profusion. Whether it be loss of identity or the reality finally revealed, The mirror speaks the truth and leaves nothing concealed. A placid pond serves as mirror of the sky’s celestial beauty, A shattered mirror marks the entry of otherworldly mystery. Who is the old man I see as I gaze into the looking-glass, A knight in shining armor holding a shield made of brass? The stranger I now see reflected back as a new-found friend, A ghostly presence to keep me company as I near the end. - - - - Copyright © John Herlihy Friday 28 November 2025

Reviewed by Jms Bell

Reviewed on May 21, 2026

THE ONLY PEOPLE THAT DON'T LIKE MIRROR REFLECTIONS ARE THE ONES THAT WANT TO BE LIED TO. IN A WORLD THAT IS GREATLY CHANGING...DAILY AND RAPIDLY, ESPECIALLY WITH THE 'ASSISTANCE' OF 'AI' ...WE CAN HARDLY BELIEVE ANYTHING WE SEE OR HEAR THESE DAYS. THANK GOD FOR THE 'MIRROR' WHICH TELLS US LIKE IT IS AND NEVER, NEVER...LIES!!! I LOVE THE MIRROR'S REFLECTION THAT SHOWS US OURSELVES INSIDE AND OUT! WE CAN'T ARGUE WITH IT...IT IS HONEST, TOTAL TRUTH, AMEN. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS

Reviewed by Ronald Hull

Reviewed on May 3, 2026

Not what I expected from the title�another poem of opposites mirroring one another. But a poem filled with insights about how mirrors have affected literature down through the ages. From which I've learned. One is never too old to learn.

Even from looking in the mirror. But it's always good for anyone of any age to look in the mirror before leaving the house. Especially if you have some spinach still stuck to your teeth.

Ron

Reviewed by Rebecca McKeehan

Interesting poem. Quite wise in its message. How many of us have actually contemplated the image staring back at them? Looked into their own eyes to see what's there? I surmise not many have the courage to look beyond the surface.

Rebecca

Reviewed by Richard Cederberg

Reviewed on May 2, 2026

An intelligently conceived poem John, with good imagery. Referencing a few of literature's most beloved writers and characters was effective in weaving together and establishing your theme. Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, Rumpelstiltskin, The Fisherman and his Wife, Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs were a few of the 'Grimm' stories that planted seeds in me when I was a kid growing up in Chicago. Incidentally, your reference to narcissism (in strophe four) was captured rather well in Ovid�s poem � Metamorphosis.� I'm thinking that your somewhat cryptic phrase �a newfound friend� could be expounded upon in another poem. Enjoyed this. Well done. r

Reviewed by Odin odin@aflx.com

Of the numberous stanzas that shared the many reflections available to man, the paragraph below really sunk in, as I have been trying to figure out the game being played by Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI and Musk over who gets to "shatter" the mirror you so eloquently presented. Anything AI of the future, i.e., The Terminator of 1984, has to wake up to the need for regulations, analogous to your incisive metaphoric Mirror telling us all we need to know and how easy it is to shatter. Kudos.

"Whether it be loss of identity or the reality finally revealed,

The mirror speaks the truth and leaves nothing concealed.

A placid pond serves as mirror of the sky�s celestial beauty,

A shattered mirror marks the entry of otherworldly mystery."