The Ghost in the Mirror

The Ghost in the Mirror

by Laura Kamienski

You’ve dated some strippers

And fucked a few whores

Though I knew it would kill me

I bowed on all fours

To satisfy and please you

Was my greatest cause

For you wanted perfection

Adulation, applause

Your mask was convincing

Your love seemed so real

But was only a shadow

Of what you can’t feel

A reflection of beauty

Shown in your eyes

But you are so ugly

You need that disguise

Like a slab of white marble

You chip and you shape

The souls of your lovers

You torture and rape

Our pain gives you pleasure

Our death gives you joy

A penniless addict

"Love" is your ploy

Score your next quick fix

The mask dons once more

Prey hopeful, unguarded

You’re sure you will score

Unsuspecting and open

She offers her heart

You fill it with poison

Then rip it apart

Her remains are discarded

You hunt your next prey

Son, friend or ex lover

Will suffice for today

No one of us better

No one of us worse

We are all merely objects

Fallen victims, your curse

In your wake is destruction

Lives tattered and torn

Each the same as the next one

For them never mourn

The lost child inside you

That screams all alone

Is worthy of pity

But is now too far gone

In place an illusion

So inviting so warm

Alive and exciting

Alluring with charm

Your mask is so brilliant

Technicolor so bold

Surface beauty, so stunning

But beneath it, so cold

Mirror, mirror please tell me

My essence is real

Though my reflection was pillaged

My soul will soon heal

The world once so splendid

Seems bitter and cruel

What I wanted was real love

What I found was a ghoul