The People of Glass

i. There are people in this world Who have frozen their souls. I have come to think of these people As the People of Glass. ii, The People of Glass are not transparent, of course. Glass reflects, after all - And that is what they do best; They reflect on themselves how we want to see ourselves - The Success. The Prosperity. The self-assured belief their Way of Life is correct. They make us long to be their friends. They make us long to be them. iii. But the People of Glass are fragile. They chip at the slightest Questioning of character or viewpoint; They are Dense in every sense of the word, Compacted and contracted against The greater world beyond them. Ah, but they fill in the cracks and smooth out the chips, Don't they? They can afford good cosmetics. iv. The People of Glass Are smooth and shiny, Pretty, Pretty. Like tigers' eyes in the tall, dry grass. v. So are my fears of the People of Glass The voice of Paranoia? All I can ask is: Be careful of that too-firm handshake. Be careful of that too-easy grin. Even if it comes from me. And I'll be watching if it comes from you.