This is the way the world ends...

Ah, December 21, 2012. A day that will live in infamy as the day that most of the modern world said that the Mayans said the world would end. The power of hearsay is so amazing...but I digress.

Amidst all the talk of the world ending, a single line kept coming into my mind: "This is the way the world ends; not with a bang, but a whimper."

These are the concluding lines from TS Eliot's "The Hollow Men," a poem that has been constantly popping into my head for the past few months. It is a combination of allusion and symbolism that creates such a fearfully wonderful view of how it all very well might end.

As I am a complete and total geek, the following is my analysis and interpretation of the imagery and symbolism presented in Eliot's "The Hollow Men". I would like to emphasize that this is my own interpretation, and I therefore reserve the right to be wrong about it. I also encourage any and all readers who wish to disagree or add to my analysis to do so civilly in the comment section (I do love a good literary discussion!)

Mirror, Mirror

Mirror, Mirror, what do I see
As I stand here gazing?
Countless flaws and social faux pas,
Nothing too amazing.

My eyes are too small,
My teeth aren't all straight,
And I freckle, never tan.
My ears a crooked
Though no one will notice.
They're covered so nobody can.

My legs are too short,
My face is too long,
My hair has a mind of its own.
And I'm still surprised
That I've lived this long
With only one broken bone.

My clothes were on clearance,
My jewelry's homemade,
My shoes are falling apart.
I pay no mind to trends and styles,
And most of my shopping
Is done at Wal-Mart.

But Mirror, there must be something more
Than just the reflection I see,
For God has claimed me as His own,
And He has a different vision of me.

I am washed in the blood
That His Son shed for me,
And I am whiter than snow.
I am His adopted child,
And He loves me so much.
It's more than I could ever know.

He sees my heart,
How it beats for Him,
How I want nothing more than His will.
My life I gave to Him,
And I listen for His command
To act or simply be still.

My passion is His people,
My mission His work,
To show the world His love.
To live in a way
That no one can doubt
I live for God above.

So Mirror, you've deceived me
Because I looked with the human eye.
For my beauty surpasses the natural,
It's the beauty of the Most High.