The Mirror Image Poem by Fernando Alvarez

I stare into the mirror.
Staring at what looks like me,
But isn't.
That's not my reflection.
It's the appearance I thought I hid.
It's the screaming I hear
Inside my head.
It appears in the mirror.
An apparition of the past.
The thoughts I feel
Became physical,
No longer mental.
My eyes stared back at me.
That sad, lonely face appeared.
And for an instant I saw my strength.
The strength I thought I lost
A once strong person on the outside
Becomes how she feels on the inside.
Lost, but with a glint of hope.
Barely there, tiny in size,
But nevertheless
The strength I need
To move away from the mirror image.