Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE FUN HOUSE FABLE, by KAREN SWENSON



Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE FUN HOUSE FABLE, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: After the mirror of his mother died
Last Line: And the roller coaster clocked to the top.
Subject(s): Amusement Parks; Death; Dead, The


After the mirror of his mother died
he lived in the Fun House at the end of the pier
where the days were soaked in the odor of corn on the cob
and horseshoe crabs dead on the beach.
All night the water slapped around the pilings,
the roller coaster clocked to the top.

He spent his days wandering
through the maze of distorting mirrors
which gave him back fat and thin
harelipped, hunchbacked, clubfooted
each warped him to a new deformity.
To be sure, he would touch himself
watch his twisted hand feel his crooked jaw
and then he made love to the shine of each glass surface
grateful for any reflection.
At night he watched one undistorted star
between the slats of the roof.

When death laid him out in his own image
all the reflections came to look into the casket -
the harelip in high heels, the hunchback in white gloves -
but he could no longer give them anything back
as the sea slapped against the pilings
and the roller coaster clocked to the top.





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...



Home: PoetryExplorer.net