Mirror Poem by Maya Hanson

Winter's supposed to make me
feel like I belong,
safe in my own skin
but instead I pick this war

Hard to swallow what I thought I saw
in the mirror

So I'll cut your little heart out
I want to make a mess
of this house and this life

Lightning strikes my reflection
cause there's no more dreaming
when you're on the second floor

I wanted summer to steal
all the packages I drag around,
but I guess I'm stuck with them
and I'm chained to that girl
on the other side of the glass

But none of these thoughts break the law,
nothing I write is ever good enough
Why should I be scared of a mirror?

So I'll be calm as fierce fire when I'm
falling apart,
the cold mirror grounds me
as I press my hand flat as glass
At least it can't write a dissertation on everything I've done wrong and all the slippery words I've said
like you did

So I'll face a different kind of danger
without stepping alone

So I'll lose what I needed
just to realize I'm okay

So I'll learn sometimes
one snow angel, one sprinter in the heat
is even better

So I'll almost scream but
use my voice for more desperate things
like telling her she's beautiful

I'll cut your little heart out
and leave it on the staircase,
so I can step over it and not
carry it any more miles

But I won't shatter that mirror
she's all I have.