Before the mirror smile and show,
                The secret you that never can be seen.
                Alone, there with yourself, show yourself;
                The 'you' that others cannot know,
                And, you cannot be sure of.

                Is reality what appears before you,
                Or just a fiction which reflects reality?
                Or just a fiction reflecting fiction?
                Who can say?  For none of us have ever seen
                The far side of the mirror...
                Or, having gone there,
                Been able to look back and see ourselves.

                That could be called madness,
                But is that madness the reality?
                The fiction?
                Or the reflection.
 
 

DRIVER'S TALE

by Don Baldwin

                Last winter on a back road
                Way up near the Tonto Rim
                My big truck started smoking,
                And my hopes began to dim.

                I'd never get to Payson.
                Or drop this load on time.
                After towing, parts, and labor,
                Wouldn't even make a dime.

                As I stood there by the big rocks,
                And pondered what to do,
                Staring blindly 'cross a canyon
                Some things came into view.

                It wasn't just the mountains
                Gray and white against blue sky,
                Or green pines standing straight and tall,
                That began to catch my eye.

                Yeah, I was in it for the money,
                Just as much as any man,
                But I did it too because I got to see
                The beauty of this land.

                I was grateful for the people
                I met while running free,
                But, lately, even looking,
                I'd forgotten how to see.

                Well, so my rig was busted,
                And the boss would sure be mad...
                I could swear I heard a river!
                You know, things didn't seem so bad.

                Sure, I had my obligations,
                The things I said I'd do.
                There  was money to be made,
                But before the day was through...

                I needed moments in the mountains,
                Or perhaps along the shore,
                To get out and remember,
                What I really did it for.

                So, I stood there with my cell phone,
                My finger set to dial.
                Then I went looking for that river.
                The rig could wait a while.
 
 

MRS. MACBETH

by Don Baldwin

                Dear Macbeth if you had known
                Where greed and lust would lead,
                Would you have hopped the first horse home,
                Before your better half would need...

                A lawyer, and a good hand soap,
                Perhaps a sleeping pill?
                Or would you, as you did, you dope,
                Allow the darling dear to kill....

                Old Duncan as he slept and snored
                Serenely in your room and bed,
                Unaware of your plans toward,
                His kingdom, crown, and royal head?