In the poem “beware: do not read this poem,” the speaker calls the poem “a greedy mirror” and describes the poem as having “taken in many victims.” What does this figurative language reveal about the poem and the effect the speaker expects the poem to have on the reader?

In the poem “Beware: do not read this poem”, the speaker calls the poem “a greedy mirror” and describes the poem as having “taken in many victims” to grab the attention of human curiosity.

Strangely enough the poem begins with the story of an old women who haunts people and disappears inside the mirrors. The use of figurative language makes the poem sound grim and horrifying. The poet then changes the narrative of the poem into a more discursive speech from the fourth stanza.

From this point on, the poet warns the readers that the poem is alive and that there is no escape from it. She expects the readers to feel frightened as if they were devoured by the poem.