Mirror of the Dog

by Todd Matson

The more he drank

the more he wanted to drink

as one led to two and two

led to three in the morning.

The more he smoked

the more he wanted to smoke

as he traded cigarettes for

vapes to turn up the nicotine.

The more he drugged

the more he needed to drug

as tolerances built up and

it took more to get high.

The more he gambled

the more he needed to gamble

as he felt compelled to go double

or nothing to win back his losses.

The more he bought

the more he wanted to buy

as he ran up credit card debts

he couldn’t afford to pay.

The deeper he descended

into the dark the more he joked

about being an insatiable vampire

who couldn’t see himself in the mirror.

Until he drove by the house

where the child was blowing bubbles

and the dog was chasing and chomping

on bubbles disappearing into nothingness.

And he saw himself in the mirror of the dog.