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Index: Six-way Mirror

50 The Father

‘UNCONSCIOUS FATHERS, A diaspora of wanderers at large on the sea of souls, share a bond known only to the pantheon’s patriarch.’ Those who have never witnessed birth are an antique tribe with a second chance if the daughter is willing, as she might be if she truly understands. Generations fold into themselves, an asymmetric […]

48 The Rose

‘A YELLOW ROSE means: “Don’t you love me any more?” A rose with blackfly means: “I wash my hands of you!”’ Flower losses are easily dealt with. Pull the affected petals off or snip the whole head. Ignore the complacent camellia, smiling unarmed at its enemies. War can shake up any court, dress uniforms slashed […]

49 The Elephant

‘MAY YOU FEEL the loving presence of Ganesh on his birthday (1st September) and on yours. Namaste.’ Using trunks to test unsafe ground, these Atlas elephants were surer than mountain goats. They widened the passes for the army – contrary to popular belief. Their problem was lack of browse. Napoleon may have found a few […]

40 The Musician

‘EVEN THE MOST abysmal performance must be endured without anaesthetic, since you need to be sure the nerves are still alive. Applause may be muted.’ Few instruments, even cheap ones, end up in landfill – far more in the attic’s parc fermé, where superstition keeps them somnolent. Spiders float in strung lairs of trumpet, tambourine, […]

47 The Actor

‘CALLING THE DIRECTOR a vampire, in rehearsals, won for her the love of all the cast, except his mistress, playing Snow White.’ Inhabiting a tree is formative. From fingers browning and falling you progress to almost visible roots, then later to cruelly self-examining in the round, the bourgeoisie undressed, shielded by a dustbin lid. A […]

46 The Moon

‘THE BONE-DRY moon that churns a planet’s seas is the ghostly pale moon dislodging a gender’s blood.’ The myth of snow-white Raven stealing sun, moon, stars and water from the eaves of Grey Eagle’s longhouse is for first-year creative writing. Try practical science instead: the elements corresponding with roots, seeds, leaves, flowers; plus lunar astrology. […]

45 The River

‘THE MELLIFLUOUS NAME is peculiar to English: locals splutter on a tangle of consonants – a cormorant’s nest, with ramparts of broken vodka bottles.’ Lingering here is unsettling, holding you back from your longings. From the fissure in mountain roughness most people gravitate downstream, knee-deep in alpine flowers, feeling the delta’s pull – the great […]

Mirror 44.

‘SCALP HUNTERS, BABYSITTERS, ferrets, pavement artists walk at least once around the block before entering any building.’ Some agents use national security surveillance to track their lovers – past, present, would-be, fantasy – in the manner of a policeman ‘running a plate for a date’. They might just be practising; or testing new paradigms. Often […]

43 Hair

‘A BAD HAIR day is a day that only starts with uncontrollable hair. The truth is, the mirror gods will often relent by lunchtime.’ Who would have guessed the Cleopatra fringe would be so short-lived? Many suspect foul play: an actress, it’s thought, bought by a rival studio, may have slipped an asp into the […]

42 The Maze

‘WHEN THE FIELD Marshal pulled down all the city’s minarets to confuse the occupying army, memory was promoted to the level of valour.’ Which came first, maze or sheepfold? Unarmed, listening intently, head full of shadowy myths, you step undaunted into destiny. Turning a corner you almost bump into a man who resembles your father, […]

41 The Tower

‘THE TOWER OF the Graduate College was named the Ivory Tower, after the benefactor, whose company made Ivory Soap.’ Descartes teaches in this place of freedom, tranquillity and leisure. A storm might topple a young king and queen from even their most modest aspirations. Their crowns would fall off, and a fool might catch one […]

39 The Sky

‘PASSENGER PLANES DO not carry parachutes at present, since passengers are likely to object to wearing so bulky an object on a long flight.’ A water-powered armillary sphere engineered in brass foretells for learners and demonstrates for teachers the real motions of the earth, the apparent motions of the heavens. Rain fills the bowl – […]

38 The Crystal

‘BETTER TO WEAR no gems at all than flawed stones. Better to make an enemy of the tiger than a friend of the rat.’ Amethyst is a sponge for angst, animosity, arrogance. This is just one of many crystals notable for their thirst. You desiccate around them, skin patient for the moisturising kiss the virtuous […]

37 The Ship

‘THE WHOLE CREW is crowded into the crow’s nest, scanning for Half-way Island. The leak is relatively small, so probably you’ll get there.’ A cliff of portholes blocks your view at the end of a terraced street. Riveters migrate on other people’s handiwork, then find their berth and fill the air with the blues. Rivet […]

35 The Whale

‘YOU’VE WEATHERED HOMESICKNESS, madness, pirates, scrimshaw, hellfire sermons. Time to drift placidly beside the pensioned leviathan.’ Incomparable mammals are losing themselves in the opacities of the blue-green llanos, the killing fields of contraptions not yet invented. A fascinated boy has nowhere to go, nowhere to start – unless he’s lucky enough to have a whaling […]