The Mirror

The glass surface that reflects light and shimmers when the moonlight hits it.

The window into the world that you can only see, the one that you cannot reach.

The world that is separated from this world by the thin layer of glass.

When the glass shatters the world disappears.

The light doesn’t reflect.

It doesn’t shimmer.

A mirror is supposed to reflect light.

Therefore when we look into it we should see the light from within ourselves reflected back at us.

But when I look in the mirror all I see is the same ugly, stupid face.

The same ugly, stupid hands.

The same ugly, stupid person.

The same ugly, stupid me.

Society tells me to love myself.

Society tells me to look in the mirror and appreciate the beauty that is me.

But society has taught me another lesson.

Society has taught me to evaluate my flaws.

Everyday women are told to buy makeup to cover up and hide the blemishes of their skin, to wear tight clothing to extenuate their curves, to wear body choking garments that hide their fat bodies because no one wants to see that.

Society has taught me that I need to have straight, white teeth and dress nice and cover my flaws and highlight my perfections.

Society has taught me to look at my body and weigh out my flaws and perfections.

Society has taught me to let the light reflect from only a small part of my being and to cast shadows over those that no one should see.

A mirror is supposed to reflect light.

Then why is there none when I look at my reflection.

Why am I a blur of darkness.

The mirror.

The mirror can lie.

The mirror can tell us that we are beautiful when we know that we aren’t.

The mirror can tell us that we aren’t beautiful when really, we are.

The mirror can tell the truth.

It tells me the truth.

And there is no light that shines from within me and reflects off the glass surface.

There is no light that eliminates the flaws that the shadows cover.

A mirror is supposed to reflect light.

A mirror has the capacity to break.

A mirror can shatter, and with it shatters the breath of an entire world.

Society tells me that I should be okay with being different.

Society tells me that everyone is different, and that that’s what makes us all special.

But society tells me that I need to fit in.

Society has taught me that it’s okay to be different as long as you fit in.

As long as I’m different for a perfectly normal reason.

Society has taught me that everyone looks different, that everyone talks different, that every thinks different.

Society has taught me that as long as I remain within the boundaries of different I can still be considered normal, but what if I don’t remain within the boundaries of different...

Society has taught me that if I don’t stick out or give people a reason to hate me they won’t.

The mirror...

The mirror has shown me that I can hide, that I can keep my head down and stay quiet and people will still hate me.

The mirror has shown me that I will still hate myself.

The reflections of light that are supposed to reflect back on me go straight through me.

Because there is nothing beyond the surface.

There is nothing aside from the ugly face and the ugly hands and the ugly stupid person that I see standing there staring hopelessly back at me.

I can break the mirror.

But that won’t change the fact that there’s no light to reflect.

I can break the mirror.

But I’ll still be the same person.

The mirror.

The glass surface that reflects light and shimmers when the shattered fragments of sunlight hit it.

The window into the world that you can only see, the one that you cannot reach.

The world that is separated from this world by the thin layer of glass.

A layer that is never meant to be broken.

For when the glass shatters the world disappears.

The light doesn’t reflect.

It doesn’t shimmer.

And I become invisible again.

I look into the shattered remains and I am not there.

Because I am broken.

I am invisible.

Because of the mirror.

The mirror.