Who is that
Staring back at me in the mirror?
That girl
Whose hair falls like a cascade
Of starlight
Whose eyes
Are warm
And shining
Her skin looks like stretched, caramel cotton
So soft
So inviting
She can’t be me,
Can she?

But then she is gone in a blink of an eye
And another girl appears
She is ugly to me
Disgusting
Her face is the opposite of clear
Her eyes are too small
And the hollows of her cheeks are nonexistent
This is the most realistic version of myself
That I believe to be true
She is the girl
I am familiar with


And who is this girl?
Clenching her fists firmly at her sides
Like it’s the only thing keeping her from breaking
I see her sometimes in glances
But she’s usually not around for this long
Her eyes are narrow and her lips are tight,
Stance indicating she’s not moving
Shoulders vibrating
A flush creeps across her skin
Her anger fogs the glass
And I can swear it’s chipping

The girl who always smiles
Is one I like to see
Her lips bloom like flowers
The corners nearly reaching her eyes
Which shine so brightly
There’s no need for light
She never sticks around for long
But her visits are always memorable


Why is this girl back?
I hate when she appears
Her stare is always filled with tears
That threaten to roll down the surface of
The mirror
She’s the only version who will move her mouth
“Why?”
She asks me
“Why stay here?”
And I hate that I don’t have an answer
To give

The mirror astounds me
Because I only have to turn
And see a different part of myself
Staring right back