The Girl Who Isn’t There

On the outside looking in, or the other way 'round?

The Girl Who Isn't There

Blending in against the wall
beyond the spinning whirl;
unnoticed at the couple’s ball,
an odd unneeded girl.

Pairs arranged in promenade
or swaying cheek-to-cheek,
looking past a lonely maid
who sees but doesn’t speak.

Unremarked as fair or plain
she doesn’t draw a glance;
waiting for a handsome swain,
just hoping for a chance.

Music swells to airy height,
fills hearts that beat as one,
slows to mark the waning night,
their dance is nearly done.

Two by two they leave the floor,
she gazes wistfully;
couples ebbing out the door,
but no one turns to see.

Silence overtakes the space,
she isn’t gone at all;
the image of her mirrored face
reflects an empty hall.

Author's note: ▶︎

This poem was originally written for the Dark Dreamscapes contest. A picture was given as the prompt. I saw a lonely girl, trapped in a mirror. Perhaps she was too shy to join the dance, or perhaps she was cruelly ignored by society. Now her spirit watches from the mirror, eternally longing but unable to move on.

My poem didn’t win the contest, but one of the judges gave it an award 'just because'. I realized it could also work for The Taboo Words Contest ~ On Hiatus ghost story round. The taboo words were: ghosts, specters, creepy, haunting, and fear. Later on, I also entered it in the Story Poem Contest.

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