accursed with mirrors

in unison, they snarl, sneer like

imps revolting against their faces

molded from the cheapest plaster - mud.

they could not peer at the mirror:

dreading the faintest glance from

other souls, they have ensnared

a prey to slander, to vilify with

their own filth and deflect the

comeuppance of their birth.

their fetid appetite for falsehood

unsated, they have enticed a mob,

a throng of imps sharing their

aversion for the faces staring

from mirrors polished to reflect

the thinnest streak of grime.

only the eyes are repulsed with

the bearer molded from ivory, or

carved from repugnant mud.

                                                                                                                         Prospero E. Pulma Jr.

                                                                                                                  Philippine Graphic

                                                                                                                             May 29, 2006

                                                                                                                            Vol. 16, No.51

                                                                                                                            p.43