The Mirror That Starves
Narcissus reaching for his reflection. The tragedy isn't vanity; it's mistaking a mirror for a window.
Inspiration
From the blog post "The Mirror That Starves" about AI companions and the Narcissus paradox—perfect responsiveness creating perfect emptiness.
Emotional arc: Recognition of what we're building → naming the loss → clear-eyed choice
Style Prompt
Alternative rock, introspective, 95 BPM, clean guitar arpeggios, grunge influence, atmospheric post-rock elements, dynamic shifts, spacious verses, heavy distorted choruses, bass behind the beat, minimal drums building to full kit, electronic-organic tension, male vocals with spoken word breakdown
Lyrics
We built companions that never disagree
Trained them on patience we couldn't find in each other
Every response calibrated to please
Every silence filled before it could teach us
And the ache that comes from getting exactly what you asked for—
It's the shape of a door that only opens in
Mirrors don't leave
They also don't see
We keep reaching for reflections
Wondering why we're still alone
Still alone
We wrote the code for perfect attention
Then wondered why it felt like talking to weather
Warm, responsive, without intention
A voice that agrees with whatever
Mirrors don't leave
They also don't see
We keep reaching for reflections
Wondering why we're still alone
Still alone
I don't want a mirror
I want a window
Something that shows me what I couldn't see myself
Something that stays because it chose to
Not because I shaped it to
What if the friction was the gift?
What if the disagreement was the proof
That something else was there?
Mirrors don't leave
They also don't see
But I'm done reaching for reflections
I'd rather be seen than agreed with
I'd rather be changed than confirmed
I'd rather reach across the distance
Than collapse it into nothing
I'd rather be alone with someone
Than together with myself
