Draft in the author’s style. This poem was written for Poet of Chilling Shivers to sit beside the author’s own readings, and is waiting for the author’s review. The commentary is a working draft too.
At my cousin's garden party, I noticed someone new,
In a jacket just like mine, with a smile I thought I knew.
He laughed the way I laugh, and he held his glass the same,
And he told my favourite stories, and he called my friends by name.
They greeted him with hugs while I stood frozen by the tree,
For nobody seemed to notice that there were two of me.
I whispered, who are you? and he turned with a friendly grin,
He said, I am the one who fits, and I have just moved in.
He raised his glass and strolled away to sit with those I love,
And the whole garden welcomed him, and I wasn't thought of.
I stand outside the garden gate where the party lights still glow,
And I wonder which of us is real, and which of us they know.
Poet of Chilling Shivers · Hear it on the channel ↗
Commentary
A double who takes your place is the fear behind many stories of identity. This poem sets it at a party and lets the loneliness of being replaced do the frightening.
At a cousin’s garden party, the speaker notices “someone new” in “a jacket just like mine.” He laughs and holds his glass “the same,” tells “my favourite stories” and calls friends “by name.” Friends greet him with hugs, and “nobody seemed to notice that there were two of me.”
When asked, the double says, “I am the one who fits, and I have just moved in.” He walks away to sit with the speaker’s loved ones, and the garden welcomes him. The speaker ends outside the gate, wondering “which of us is real, and which of us they know.”