"Mirror Witch Ritual."

One a.m. My parents asleep

in a dark bedroom down the hall

blue tiles cold under my feet

the seagreen bathroom quiet

stepping

to

the

door

and slowly - so it doesn't creak! hold your breath! -

slowly

closing the dooor

dad snores

i inhale

onetwothreefourfive

exhaleonetwothreefourfive

the lightswitch has a smiling fish painted on its cover

surrounded by spongepainted walls of fauxfoam

a strange place for a ritual

to commune with hell alone

to stand face to face with the mirror

i step on a stack of magazines by the john

our medicene cabinent mirror

i wipe the flecks of toothpaste off it with my thumb

because we need to be serious

fingertips quickflick the switch and the room's dark

except for the grainy nightlight

which glows a feeble electric darkflickdarkflick

Toothless old women centuries ago

are casting the bones

in a dim campfire circle

of terrified Greeks

but i'm six years old

chanting up the netherworld

on East Roosevelt Street

inhaleonetwothreefourfive and even dad's stopped snoring its so still

"Bloody Mary"

exhaleonetwothreefourfive testing my will

that i can knock loud enough

stand long enough

to prove myself to sixth grader Andy Phipps

inhaleonetwothreefourfive and if mom's right and this mocks god

"Bloody Mary"

exhaleonetwothreefourfive at least in blasphemy I've stood firm

Stood firm and I can make the mirror swim

and gall Her

to dare

and dare

and dare

to tempt the nails that reach from the glass

and meet her bleeding stare

inhaleonet-

I see myself and step back

pale and stupid in the nightlight’s darkflick

my blood coiled, curdled and thinking of Phipps

but he knows just like I do that nothing will happen

dad snores and I'm in my bathroom again

I'm 23 and I know better now.

And I don't let Phipps laugh for not sealing the deal.

I'm old enough to know that She can't get in.

I'm old enough to know that mirrors don't swim.

But I look while I'm brushing my teeth at night and I wonder.