Mirrors

As a girl I wished I could reach through the mirror,
explore the land beyond, like Alice did
in that movie with the Jabberwocky (who scared me).
Every few months, my mom would move the nail,
that held the mirror to the wall, a little higher
so I could see my face - that's how we knew I was growing.

When I moved into the guest room (I was ten),
we put a full-length mirror on my wall.
And if I lay in my bed just right, while talking
on the phone, I could see myself in that mirror -
airbrushed without my glasses on. I always
was so pretty in that mirror, to me.

Now I have two mirrors in one tiny room,
both bearing messages. The one behind the door
says (written by my neighbor), "You are beautiful."
Sometimes we all need to be reminded.
The mirror in my closet says (written by me),
"Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay,
then it's not the end." Sometimes I need to be reminded.

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