Evolving Emotions: A Mirror’s Shine

Their eyes pierce my skin

They persecute my soul

They interrogate my substance

They diminish my light

Who is “they”?

Those that cross my path

The people that touch my life

Cherished loved ones

An external force

God

The universe itself

Perhaps

Me.

I puncture my passions

I persecute my dreams

I interrogate my existence

I mute my shine

Reflecting is painful

The mirror shows me as I am

My eyes bend and distort

Staring back at me

My greatest fear

My greatest shame

My greatest disappointment

My greatest loathing

My greatest failure

We lock eyes

Ugly

Ignorant

Underserving

Unwilling

Hopeless

Perhaps it is time to perceive as the mirror does

Objective

Dispassionate

Void of judgment

An authentic truth

The mirrors of our lives

The ebb and flow of familiar strangers

Those crossing our paths

The loved fixtures of our experience

The external force that guides us

This astounding universe surrounding us

Whomever we place our faith in

Ever reflecting

There are mirrors

Look, and bear witness

You are not what you tell yourself you are

Or who you feel you must be

You are simply

You

Beautiful

Intelligent

Deserving

Willing

Brimming with brilliant potential

Seek those who act as your mirror

Who celebrate your strengths when you are blind to them

Who embrace your flaws when you cannot

Find those who see you for you

Find those who see your shining light anew

EKArts

Erin Knape is a University of Michigan senior majoring in psychology and minoring in creative writing. Her greatest passion has always been the arts, whether that be writing, painting, or photography. Capturing Campus, a weekly installment of poetry and photography, aims to capture campus life through artistic expression. Dive into Capturing Campus every Sunday!