Mirror

Last night a little girl came to me in a dream 

She had a head of wild blonde curls 

that looked more like 

a tangle of cat grass blowing in the wind 

than hair. 

With curiosity she peered at me 

from across the small, dusty brook 

Perched in a cluster of creeping bellflower 

that hadn’t quite blossomed yet 

She probably didn’t realize I could see her. 

The June sunshine gave way to clouds 

But Virginia’s warmth held her content for the moment

And so she stared at me with open blue eyes 

for quite some time,

there by the brook.

She gradually moved closer,

her bare feet padding softly through the shallow waters

Until she had neared me enough to look me in the eye

Which she did,

Eventually.

A breeze spun her ratty dress

In a plume about her ankles

And she gave a little twirl right there on the bank

Waiting to see my reaction.

A crow cried out, “ca-aw!” 

Flying past us in a tumbleweed of black feathers

She didn’t even glance up at it,

she sang at me “ca-aw!” herself,

And smiled in my direction with a giggle.

The shrill voice of a woman pierced the air 

calling the child home

And for a moment,

at last she broke our stare.

But soon she returned, pressing her freckled nose 

Against my cold, silvery face

Gazing deep into the reflection of her eyes 

By my own honest ones

Running her small hands 

across my delicately-carved frame,

whispering quietly to let me know she’d come back 

one day.