The Borderland Introspective
Have you, my friend,
Ever been to the Borderland Introspective?
Fallen into yourself,
shattering all the funhouse mirrors
(the ones we desperately try to see ourselves in)
at last landing among the shards.
Those pieces become so insubstantial,
you could no longer cut yourself on them even if you tried.
Admit you tried.
Even these glittering fragments fade.
You can only see yourself reflected in a body of truth,
a lake or a puddle, depending on who you are,
though even the shallowest water stings…
Look away, madness claims those who know themselves entirely.
There are other sights to see:
Desert and frozen tundra at once,
jagged puzzle cliffs that you swear you've seen before,
alternated with deep red canyons with crumbling edges.
Does the landscape remind you of Dante?
But the borderland is of your own making…
the sky is often stormy and dark,
but never too dark to see
the small deformed creatures,
aborted ideas,
your idian impulses that reach out with small mangled hands
begging you to claim them, accept them.
You turn away, disgusted, not looking as you walk by.
Always they receive this reaction from man.
They whine in sorrow, hoping you'll soon return.
As you wander you pass your fears,
hidden behind doors without walls.
The knobs jiggle, and you run away.
You never really know where you are and were,
landmarks stray, and
your maps- your Freud and self-help books- are so many lies.
Just keep moving with helpless, hopeful feet.
Take a good look around, and listen close,
it's not as if you could do anything else anyway.
Your dark deeds are distant mirages repeating
over and over again.
Whispering voices repeat your every lie, and promise.
Memories wander by like pale ghosts,
some so sweet you remember why you came here
at least for a little while.
A backward glance confirms you are not alone,
guilt and insecurities trail along behind,
like so many ducklings.
Crooning words of love and promise,
ambition and self-worth take your hands
and help fend off the rest.
Don't let them go, ask them,
they'll be your guides,
but don't go unquestionly to where they lead you.
They only know so much.
Have you, my friend,
ever been to the Borderland Introspective?
Use what you learn there
and don't forget to come out again.
-srw
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