Emerging Courageous online Magazine - Poetry

~ Looking Into the Mirror ~

When I was a child
Looking into the mirror
Was something that I did
Just to see if my face was clean
My hair was all in place
Before going out the door.

As a teen I began to see
When looking in the mirror
There was so much more to see
So many things my face revealed
Smiles, frowns, tears and disbelief
That others could not see me.

When on into adulthood I went
So many things my face still revealed
Often all I saw in the mirror was pain
The kind no one else could see
For the pain came from within
Because of the way people treated me.

As life went on I made a pledge
That I would work on me
So that I would be the me I could love
Not the me always bending to others ways
So when I looked in the mirror
I could see much more than pain.

It took a lot of soul searching
A lot of faith, hope and even dreams
To push me beyond what others sought
That person I didn't like very much
The one whose face was filled with pain
Looking in the mirror now I see a different me.

I see a person who is driven
To step beyond her pain and fears
I see a person who is far more happy
One who stands on faith and hope
I see a person who is filled with compassion
With a desire to help others to also cope.

I see a woman, a mother, and a wife
A woman who despite physical challenges
Gets up everyday and simply gets on with life
A woman who no longer needs walls
To keep the pain of others away
This is the woman in the mirror I see today.

As life goes on I vow to stay
This woman that I see
For deep inside my soul sings
And no matter what others do or say
This is the me that I profess
Is the one who has come to stay!

Written by Ruth D. Gallant
© February 17, 2003
[email protected]
 
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