Do Not Buy Second Hand Mirrors

Do Not Buy Second Hand Mirrors

Do not buy second hand mirrors,

they have already learned how to watch,

they have held faces that never returned,

and remembered them better than you will.

A mirror from a car boot knows too much,

it has travelled wrapped in blankets and lies,

lifted by hands eager for small bargains,

never asking what stares back at night.

Their glass becomes a quiet porthole,

opening when the room believes it is alone,

dark faces drift just beyond the surface,

waiting for recognition, not permission.

You might catch movement that is not yours,

a pause where your reflection should follow,

a look of familiarity that feels misplaced,

as if the mirror mistakes you for someone else.

They keep the echoes of bedrooms and hallways,

arguments whispered and tears wiped away,

every moment pressed into the silver backing,

layered until the glass grows patient.

When the light is low they show more than truth,

corners deepen and edges begin to breathe,

what steps forward is not imagination,

it is memory refusing to stay buried.

So leave those mirrors where they are found,

among dust, old wires, and forgotten frames,

some things are sold too cheaply for a reason,

and some reflections were never meant to move on.