A small child studies her reflection and sees not herself but another little girl living in a mirrored room. Everything in that other world matches her own: the doll, the picture-book, the cup, the ninepin game on the shelf. Yet the speaker treats the reflection as a separate, possibly lonely child, wondering if she has to eat the nasty crusts of bread. That small worry becomes an act of sympathy: she invites the mirrored baby to come through and play, promising to eat the crusts for her. The mood is quiet and a little wistful, capturing how children turn ordinary moments into private imaginative worlds. The speaker seems to want company, projecting her own feelings of lonesomeness onto the face in the glass and offering the kindness she would like herself.
The Lonesome Child — Summary
The baby in the looking-glass Is smiling through at me; She has her teaspoon in her hand, Her feeder on for tea.
And if I look behind her I Can see the table spread; I wonder if she has to eat The nasty crusts of bread.
Her doll, like mine, is sitting close Beside her special chair, She has a pussy on her lap; It must be my cup there.
Her picture-book is on the floor, The cover’s just the same; And tidily upon the shelf I see my Ninepin game.
O baby in the looking glass, Come through and play with me, And if you will, I promise, dear, To eat your crusts at tea.