“Your Life Seen Through a Looking-Glass”

This poem was originally published on The Pittsburgher’s predecessor, The Dog Door Cultural.

Child watching through a shop window

Sees glimpses of some other self:

An interview, a night-time show,

An audience, a voice that’s felt

In pockets far beyond the stars

Where none bear failure’s hidden scars.

Child watching through a shop window

Sees products pushed by a Siren voice

With factories of ease in tow –

For newfound needs there’s endless choice

Amidst the paralysing fear

Of choosing wrong while strangers leer.

Child watching through a shop window

Sees flickers, frowns and a falling dream,

Sees twilight soon outshine the screen

And sees reality cloud to dusk

Imagination’s newest farce;

Your life seen through a looking-glass. ▲

Magnus McDowall is an aspiring poet and MA English Literature student at the University of Edinburgh.