-A quiet, instructional meditation on self-examination, the poem invites us to confront our own reflection with honesty, humility, and the courage to change.
Hold it level.
Not tilted
toward virtue.
Not angled
to soften what appears.
Level.
Stand where the light is honest.
Too much shadow
and you will invent monsters.
Too much brightness
and you will miss the cracks.
Let the face arrive
without editing.
Do not speak at first.
The mouth will try
to explain itself.
Let it remain closed.
Mirrors are not persuaded
by argument.
Notice what tightens
before you recognize it.
The jaw.
The brow.
The small flinch
when memory passes behind the eyes.
These are not enemies.
They are evidence.
Resist the urge
to summon comparison.
Not your neighbor.
Not your opponent.
Not the louder version
of yourself online.
Only this face.
Only this moment.
If you see anger,
do not rename it principle.
If you see fear,
do not rename it caution.
Call things
what they are
before you decide
what they mean.
Hold the mirror
longer than comfort allows.
Long enough
for defensiveness
to grow tired.
Long enough
for something quieter
to surface.
At some point
the reflection will shift.
Not dramatically.
Just enough
to recognize
another person
behind the posture.
Flawed.
Finite.
Trying.
This is the part
no one else can do.
No crowd.
No flag.
No channel.
Just you
and the unadorned fact
of being human.
When you lower the mirror,
carry what you saw.
Not as shame.
Not as weapon.
As responsibility.
The glass does not change you.
It only shows
where change
is possible.