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The Gifts I am Given

by braveandrecklessblog

The mirror  that I look

at myself in is

old

dark

fractured

wavy

distorted

It is as if these glass fragments

have writing scrawled upon them

in crimson lipstick

Words like:

Damaged

Unclean

Fat

Old

Ugly

Bitch

Unworthy

Invisible

Unlovable

Objects in this mirror

may be closer than they appear

sometimes they hurt

sometimes they bleed

 

People have been handing me new words

that they say they see when they look at me

This language is not congruent

with what my looking glass

likes to venomously spew at me

These are different kinds of words entirely

Strong

Kind

Honest

Brave

Badass

Radiant

Beautiful

Authentic

Powerful

Impactful

Wise

Intelligent

I am not sure what to do

with these foreign objects

I put them in a heart shaped box

for safe keeping

I like to take them out and wonder at them

tracing their curves with my finger

 

I am thinking about buying

new, clear mirrors

that surround me 360 degrees

and inscribing the glass

with these gifts of words

I have been given

that tell a different narrative of me

 

Or perhaps I will

carve them onto flat disks

of gold, silver and bronze

and string them into a necklace

that I wear close to my heart

It will have weight, heft

be an ever present reminder

that mirrors are not always

the holders of my truths

 

© 2017 Christine Elizabeth Ray – All rights Reserved

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Posted on May 19, 2017 at 5:12 PM in Christine.R., Poetry   |  RSS feed |   Reply   |   Trackback URL

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9 Comments to “The Gifts I am Given”

    
  1. jerennazuto
    May 19, 2017 at 5:32 PM

    So inspiring and beatiful!

    Reply
  2. 1Wise-Woman
    May 19, 2017 at 6:33 PM

    Love this. So real for me… I think we have the same mirror 😉

    Reply
  3. Angela Umphers Rueger
    May 20, 2017 at 3:37 AM

    Love this! Especially the last two lines.

    Reply
  4. thereluctantpoet
    May 20, 2017 at 5:15 AM

    Whoa!!! I think You just knocked one of Your old Top 20 down and out! Christine, this is just an amazing and stunning piece!! I love this theme/topic (haven’t gotten around to writing on it yet, but you may have motivated me – again) and Your presentation is an absolute Masterpiece!!! Clever, witty, poignant and truthful. I say, you go with what people tell You and not that old mirror! I think I have one like You. Where did You get Yours? Inner voices-R-US? Yeah, You need to dump it as soon as possible and follow Your new plan. It sounds great! Hey, I think that is a great product for everyone – New business idea???

    Loved these lines (always humor in a serious piece, you are too much) –
    “Objects in this mirror

    may be closer than they appear

    sometimes they hurt

    sometimes they bleed

    and

    “an ever present reminder

    that mirrors are not always

    the holders of my truths”

    Bellissimo, Christine Bellissimo!!!!!

    Reply
    • braveandrecklessblog
      May 20, 2017 at 11:42 AM

      I am awfully fond of this piece too! So glad it resonated so strongly for you. I have a hard time hearing and accepting the gifts of words other writers give me, but I am trying.

      And where would we be without our senses of humor?! Love “Inner voices-R-US”– think I shop there a little too often myself!

      Reply
    

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