POEM BY CHLOE KOUTSOUBELIS
THE IDOL
There’s always an idol
hidden behind each mirror.
No one bothers with it.
Its life unfolds noiselessly
on the glassy surface.
No one touches it
nor does it recognize
the strange people
standing in front of it.
Mechanically it mimics
their movements: when
one raises his right arm
it raises its left
when one coughs noiselessly
it moves its lips.
Only when the house is vacant
the idol takes the razor
and touching it on the veins of its wrist
it tries to feel alive.
It sees however only the void opposite it.
For this, look into the mirror carefully:
if you’re lucky
you may even see
the screaming idol
behind your face.
Libros Libertad 