Cheshire

In the corners where shadows drift and play,

you smile, all teeth, like a wisp of smoke,

whisking through my certainties, showing cracks

I once pretended weren't there. But you linger,

quiet as dust, clear as moonlit glass, and whisper:

Look closer, lean in,

and there it is—

my own reflection, grinning back.

You’re sly with the truths I don’t want to hear,

yet, somehow, I follow, footsteps reluctant.

You poke, prod, tease,

pulling strings I thought tied,

unraveling the armor I wore for show.

In your gaze, I feel small, and then vast;

you’re the Cheshire Cat, wise and quicksilver,

guiding me through the labyrinth I’ve made.

You know the Red Queen’s crown is heavy,

yet you hint, light as feathers, that I might

be fit to wear it, if I dare. So I stand,

breath held, a quiet invitation to rise,

to hold what I’ve feared, not flinch, not yield.

I hear you laughing, somewhere in the dusk—

my friend, my mirror, a voice in the mist,

you linger, winking, my constant twist.