There’s that person in the corner, the Mr. Darcy stereotype with the detached derision, the tumbleweed on manicured grass, the one you would denounce vociferously though you have neither the luxury nor skill for emulation.
What about the molten-hearted entertainer in the centre, who wears both his success and failure like butterflies on his sleeve, the one towards whom the crowd gravitates, standing on tiptoe, sloshing their wine, hoping to make eye contact.
See the diffident wannabe trying hard to fit in, wondering which one might be a safer bet. There are three kinds of people here, Marcus. Which kind are you?
All of them. There are three kinds of people within you- the person you are, the one you can never be and the one you wish you already were. The people you’re looking at are just mirrors.
One third of a mirror each, surely.
the river pauses
between mountain and sea
the way forward is the way back
Phantom Road 
Woah – this is good! Me, myself and I always look different in mirrors and to others, while other people mirror facets of your self. I love the description of the man in corner ‘with the detached derision’ as ‘ the tumbleweed on manicured grass’. Your prose reminds me of a modern triptych I once saw but I can’t remember where or when or even who painted it.
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Thanks Kim. This is from my other blog which has a series of conversations in haibun format.
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I’ll follow that one too!
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Thank you!
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This is splendid… your conversations here add so much each time… I’m sorry I don’t have time to read them all…
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Thanks so much Bjorn. Read at your convenience please, appreciate the support.
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I enjoyed the twist at the end of the piece. The multitude of personas one human can contain is fascinating. .
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Thanks Rommy. And maybe that’s what we base our judgment of other people on!
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Your haiku conveys a very strong image – great metaphor.
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Thanks so much Kerry.
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I’m pondering that wisdom about the way forward and also thinking about what I see in the mirror.
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🙂 Thanks Colleen. Perhaps they are the same thing.
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The person you are can be the person you wish you already were, thus negating the person who can never be 🙂 Nicely done.
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Possible, yes, though aspiration is a strong force 🙂 Thanks Tim.
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This is wonderful!
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Thanks so much Teresa.
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Reminds me of the line from Billy Bragg: “just because you’re going forward doesn’t mean I’m going backward.” I guess we can never be that person anyway.
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Thanks Marian 🙂
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A fun read, tp. I hope the person you are dominates, otherwise there will be sad times and wasted hours coming since they won’t be.
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Thanks for stopping by Jim. Much appreciated.
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