Narcissus Fell for It

If your life, your life,
Your very own life,
You with these words now
Shifting in your head,
Was like a story,

Really like any
Of the one hundred
And twelve thousand tales
Trawled by scientists
With algorithms,

Guess what? Things would get
Worse and worse for you,
With occasional
Moments of relief
As the screws tightened

Before, at the end,
Only at the end,
At the very end,
At their very worst,
Things suddenly got

Better! Do you think
Maybe this tells you
The truth of stories
As mirrors held up
To show life reversed?