THE GUY IN THE GLASS

One of my favorites “The Guy in the Glass,” which is about integrity and honesty to oneself. The true author of the poem is Dale Wimbrow (1895-1954), who wrote it in 1934.


I remember many times in active addiction, often in the wee small hours when there was just me and my maker, it was impossible to bullshit myself about my dreadful truth. 


They were short lived moments because my shame guaranteed that I sucked back into the blindness of denial the next morning. 


This verse puts me in mind of those lonely powerless times, when in truth, I detested what I saw.

Here it is:

                      THE GUY IN THE GLASS

When you get what you want in your struggle for pelf,
And the world makes you King for a day,
Then go to the mirror and look at yourself,
And see what that guy has to say.

For it isn’t your Father, or Mother, or Wife,
Who judgement upon you must pass.
The feller whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the guy staring back from the glass.

He’s the feller to please, never mind all the rest,
For he’s with you clear up to the end,
And you’ve passed your most dangerous, difficult test
If the guy in the glass is your friend.

You may be like Jack Horner and “chisel” a plum,
And think you’re a wonderful guy,
But the man in the glass says you’re only a bum
If you can’t look him straight in the eye.

You can fool the whole world down the pathway of years,
And get pats on the back as you pass,
But your final reward will be heartaches and tears
If you’ve cheated the guy in the glass.

* The word pelf in the first line means “wealth.” 

It is a reminder to me to cut the crap and keep it real. Every time I read it, I gain a greater sense of clarity, a feeling of certainty about what I need to focus on next.

Recovery has shown me that the guy in the glass can be my friend!