MIRROR MIRROR

Over the carnival, the moonlight

Set the stage for the spectacle.

Costume-clad people sought the thrill, the rush, the intensity

Of their fast-beating hearts.

A crowd of people followed each other's steps,

Making their way into the dreadful house of mirrors.

Within the simple, dimly lit space wrapped in obscurity,

A manifold of devious, distorted reflections awaited.

A black cat dissects me with its judging greenish eyes.

Ecstatic children squeal in the distance, running around the fair.

Clowns honking their strident-sounding horns.

Drops of water touch my skin, redirecting my attention.

Shivering, I followed the distant silhouettes and stepped inside.

Shrieking laughter and harrowing music filtered through the thin walls,

Spreading like lethal poison through the crisp air,

Infusing creeping sensations like hidden thorns.

Paths diverged.

Warped versions of myself bored into me,

Watchful and derisive.

I looked around for a way out,

Desperately attempting to find someone to follow.

Groups remained together, 

Wandering around

Like spirits

Once the pendulum struck midnight.

Sets of unsettling eyes gauged my every move.

Shuddering, I redirected my path,

Walking briskly and breathless

With renewed purpose.

Soon enough, the pervading sugary smell of cotton candy

And the haunting melodies filled my every sense. 

Seeing the flickering lights again, the voices faded

As I finally stepped outside.