Reflection

My heart, squeezed by Time’s obscure grasp,

I wince at the swift and unexpected pressure.

My breath, brittle, sticks in my throat-

“You are worthy,” I say,

To the seven-year-old girl

Gazing at me in the mirror:

Our eyes connected through a portal, unknown.

The specks of gold in her blue-green eyes

Dazzle dully through her tears.

The drops, portly and bold, lurch over

The coffee-coloured freckles sprinkled across her cheeks.

I watch her bubble-gum lips moving up and down

But the sound is lost in another dimension.

“Speak louder,” I say,

To the 16-year-old girl

Reflected palely in the mirror.

The painted white mask

Beginning to split

And slipping from its frame.

“Hold it together,” I say,

To the 25-year-old woman

Whose knuckles are bleached

And fractured from her grip.

The weight dragging her hands further down,

Unable to lift it any longer.

The glue no longer strong

Enough to fill in the cracks.

And the spare white paint dried long ago.

“Take my hand,” I say,

To the 42-year-old woman

Alive in the mirror.

Together, we smash and stomp

That heartless mask that disguised

Our blue-green eyes complete with love.

Hands become light and smooth.

Breath flows freely with an echo of a laugh

Filling up ears and space.

A heart now cradled.

For-

You are enough.

I am enough.

We are enough.

*****

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