The Mirror That He Holds

what does it mean to have someone hold up to the mirror to you?

who is that person I see, staring back at me?

he holds the hand mirror to me, Sarah see this is you

I look again, mirror in hand it is

me, the mirror breaks sometimes so I glue the shards together

somebody know me too well

the reflection has scars so I wait a few weeks until I see no more traces

shades of gray everywhere, do I like what I see?

my biases, anxieties manifested

witty remarks and flushed cheeks

of bruised knees and accidental brushing off

my mirror, typically rose-tinted

not anymore, perhaps this is what having another person

is for? I am vulnerable

but safe to repair under forgiving, loving gaze

someone to force me to care 

things my parents say but I do not listen

are the same things he tells me

I look back in the mirror okay

this is me, this is Sarah

and I am okay. I am enough.

—

Relevant song: Being Alive by Stephen Sondheim

Someone to crowd you with love
Someone to force you to care
Someone to make you come through
Who’ll always be there, as frightened as you
Of being alive
Being alive, being alive, being alive. 

(Image taken using Pentax K1000, Kodak Colorplus 200)