in the mirror

the woman i don’t see
when i look in the mirror
wants you to know
that she exists

she whispers from the shadows
and waits for the echo
to remind her
that she’s had something to say

she paints her self-portrait
again and again
in shades of purple and green
on a canvas of water and smoke

because she has learned
that this is the only way
she’s allowed to speak

the woman i don’t see
when i look in the mirror
would like to be free

she would like to
spread her wings
and fly high
above the clouds

drinking in the sunshine
spitting out the bile
of the years of living
in the shadows
but i hold her firm to the earth
because
i’m afraid

that if she looks in the mirror
she won’t
see
me

03.23.25