The Mirror’s Face
I have lived so long
Without a mirror to see my face.
No reflection of the tears on my cheek
Nor the softened brow and smile
That comes from communion with my heart.
I have not recognized myself until now.
I was a stranger, wandering alone
Without even my reflection for company.
It was a lonely journey.
It weighed upon me
And made me more than sad.
Try as you might
You cannot break my desire
To seek out the gold amidst the dross.
It is just my way, for now.
I do not know if I was born to it
Or absorbed it with the song and verse
That accompanied me all my life.
Now it is mine.
I can turn my face to the sky
And stare into the naked sun without fear.
I surround myself
With sympathy and empathy
For all things living or inanimate,
A sheltering cloak that keeps dark creatures
From my door.
If I turn the mirror around
To reflect your own visage,
Do you see the same things
That I perceive?
Do you feel the same touch
Of the sublime that so delights me?
Do you sail with the clouds
On galleon wings and revel in the joy
That is there for the taking?
I would convince you of all these things
If I had both time and tools.
But time grows short
And these tools are dull
And I must go.