I look:
blurred mirror
unfocused gaze
or forming tear.
I look
to find myself
instead
see someone else:
empty black pupils
windows to darkness
quiet green eyes
blight a tired pale face.
Gentle long lashes
around eyes
and inside—
the hidden side:
the figure’s mind.
Brows still
objective
hesitant to tilt.
No smile.
No frown.
No bitter baring
of teeth.
Only closed lips
level
complacent.
White
a sheet of ice
reflected from glass
always staring back.
Whoever you are
I will not look away.
I’ll look
and I’ll love
the one I don’t know.
How often do you look in the mirror? Are you ever surprised by who you see when you step in front of it?
There come times when we have difficulty recognizing ourselves—not that we physically change, but we have moments of realization mixed with reminiscence. We remember who we were several years ago and see that we are much different now. Sometimes that is a difficult truth to accept, especially if our reflection is not especially flattering. But it is important to step in front of the mirror, look deeply at who we see, and acknowledge them—even love them. Not that we accept whatever they may have morphed into, but that we are able to see they are worth putting effort into. They are worthy of your attention. If you aren’t pleased with who you see perhaps that means they desperately need your attention. Perhaps they need to be seen and guided away from who they’ve become.
Don’t give up on the figure in the mirror, no matter how foreign they may seem to you. Without a reflection, how will you know what other people see when they look at you?
Hope Mixes
—The Translator
Comments