Ivory Skin

What do you see when you look in the mirror.

She stood in front of the mirror and stared
Looking at her every feature
The long red hair
The emerald green eyes
Sculptured nose
Perfect lips
Ivory skin

"Are you as sad as me?
You don't look as sad.
You don't look like you have just had your heart ripped out
and thrown into the gutter.
You don't look like someone whose life is over,
who feels like she doesn't have anything left to live for,
who feels life has passed her by,
who feels she will never love again."

"Are you as lonely as me?
You don't look as lonely.
You don't look like someone who has just lost their best friend,
their lover, their eternity.
You don't look like someone who feels friendless,
who feels the whole world has abandoned her,
who feels like the only person alive,
who feels she will never be whole again."

"Are you as lost as me?"
You don't look that lost.
You don't look like someone who has had their path in life
overgrown with hatred.
You don't look like someone wandering,
whose perfect plan has been torn apart,
whose dreams of the future have been shattered,
Who feels she will never be whole again."

She put her hand up to the mirror
The glass surface was warm and smooth to her touch
She gazed at her reflection a few seconds more

"You don't look like me at all."

She turned quickly and walked out of the room

The image in the mirror remained,
hand still up to the glass
A single tear escaped one of her emerald green eyes
and slowly rolled down her ivory skin

Reviews

[Astro]

Excellent expression of the ideas of "identity and image" and how they relate and or differ. Sometimes, the way we feel can be so ugly or, offensive even if we don't appear to be haunted or tortured. It takes a true empathic soul to see through appearances and feel the hurt, pain, and disgust. This poem was a good example of these themes. Well done Bill, and thanks Noodle for sending it my way.

[BillTemple]

Thank you for your kind words. I'm glad you found some meaning in this piece

[Astro]

You're welcome, keep up the good writing.

[Shaun Payton]

Excellent work. What we see of ourselves can lack definition. Image versus identity, when we learn to.just be ourselves and not be held captive by what people say we should be. We must love ourselves!

[Destinyxi]

This is beautiful. It's so descriptive that I can picture it. It was if I was watching a clip from a movie.

I also love how there is dialogue in the poem, you don't see that every day.

Thank you so much for sharing!

[Ency Bearis]

Wonderful poem with such vivid write, great one.

[BillTemple]

thank you. It is appreciated

[❤ Maggie ❤..]

This was so good, I loved every word of it. It's sad most people actually feel this way, now a days :/ But all in all the flow of this was really wonderful! I enjoyed this piece immensely! :)

[BillTemple]

This is the first of five poems. I have them all posted here now.
Thank you for your wonderful comment

[❤ Maggie ❤]

Oh wow, really?? I will definatly have to check them out! And anytime :)

[Leslie Philibert]

A poet I will often look at in future !

[BillTemple]

Thank you for your time and kind words

[TL Boehm]

exquisite poem. thank you to Noodle for sharing it.

[BillTemple]

Thank you for your kind words

[dw817]

⊰ℛℛ⊱
We can't always expect a looking glass to reflect the inner thoughts and turmoil of our pain and passions. It is after all naught but water frozen in time to reflect the antipathy of what we hate most about ourselves is it not ?

And yet it can also be a beauteous thing. We tell ourselves how lovely we look, how delicate and splendid, and how those of the attracted sex are drawn magically and magnetically to it's likeness.

It is all these things, and reflective glass still the same. So vain a species are we humans. :)

[BillTemple]

We can be a vain species, no doubt, but we are also a vulnerable species who so often misinterpret

[dw817]

I wonder how many an argument has been won with a person over a mirror ? *Grin* And yes, as a species, I believe we can most definitely be misinterpreted, or misunderstood. But - perhaps that is the spice of life. :7

[Ravyne Hawke]

This is a really good poem.. I like the questioning and answers and the image of the mirror. Great job with this one.

[BillTemple]

thank you. I hope you will check out Emerald Eyes, the second poem in the series

[Ravyne Hawke]

I will do that now.. thanks for the suggestion

[Rebecca Buller]

This was a wonderful piece and actually the first of your work that I've read. Very, very well done. I will certainly have to read more.

[BillTemple]

Thank you. So far I have only posted two poems on here, both from the same series. I will post the third poem in the series soon.
Emerald eyes is the second poem