Girl in the mirror

I see a girl staring back at me

Wide brown eyes, almost straight black hair

Whose face I find every time I look in a polished surface

Who is she?

This girl in the mirror.

 

Perhaps she is from an alternate universe

Is she happy, then?

If true, she wouldn’t look so somber, I suppose.

Who is she staring back at me?

This girl in the mirror.

 

I now take a step forward

To look closer at the girl

Who hardly resembles the one I used to see

From laughing all the while

To never truly smiling

This girl in the mirror.

 

Her hands have a slight tremor

Like she is fighting to stay

And to stay to fight

Is she a survivor?

This girl in the mirror.

 

Bags under eyes and slumped shoulders

They give it away

Is she tired from putting on a smile?

This girl in the mirror.

 

I have been staring too long

Does she mind?

Or is she content with the fact

That at least someone notices

This girl in the mirror.

 

I suddenly cannot look anymore

At her and this stage of despair

I turn and walk away from her

This girl in the mirror.

 

-Sumedha Shankar