A looking glass is far too clear to diagnose
Common aliments because of its two-way view.
And so vivid is its eye into the
Streets of the human city
That one cannot help but be reminded
Of the dullard stare through smudges and grease
Use and abuse naturally upon
Transparent presenteeism.
Bow, curtsey, lift the head to a room
Erupting in applause;
You’ve done well in this role,
Interpretations upon interpretations
Miss the minutiae, but get the gist
Of what the grander design was trying to say:
How well you’ve submitted
To the top-down script and blocking—
Just see how well young parents
Use this trope to their advantage
Across reality’s filmy, dusty fourth wall
Into the heart of our performance’s beast,
Our monster within, quick to grow—
Do you see how well the CEO plays
The role of villain in the third act?
We may hate him for it, but every story
Needs a bad guy: after all, the horse can’t
Be friends with the grass—what is he going to eat?
Did you see it? Just now? The glass we stare into?
It’s always chattering back as we bid farewell
To sudden silence of voice’s novelty.