MIRROR


They bandage his ankle tight for the swelling.
He spends most of the night unravelling it
then, exhausted, sleeps through the day. . .

I gaze at the place where the eyes would be
listen to the words that come out of the skin
that's there in place of the hole for a mouth
in place of lips that open and close
and listen and listen to the words that form
in the empty air in front of the face
that's not really a face at all

Someone's written 'MIRROR' on a sheet of A4
in place of the mirror on the bathroom wall.