Me?

Do we ever really see ourselves?

With sadness 
I look in 
The mirror at the woman I've become
A face so familiar
Yet strangely not
Who are you?
I ask the image I have never truly seen
Only an echo of my question do I hear
Not the answer I am looking for
I look away
And she is gone

Reviews

[Lydia Shutter]

I can identify with this. As the years wear on, I sometimes think I am gazing at the face of my father or mother in the mirror. A face that is not the youthful person inside me. Well written. Lydi**

[bianca]

You'll never be the same person and as you said. When we look in the mirrors we only see what our face and body want to show to others, not all the feelings that are deep inside us. We question ourselves about that new version of us that doesn't look like the old one. It's sad, but we are humans and we change even if we don't want to. Thank you for sharing these words with us!
Bebe

[wordman]

we all,or at least i feel ,we are who we perceive to be in our minds,my mind says 30 ish but my mirror says different

[Caroline B A Maguire]

Lol..I think my internal clock stopped at about 17..that probably explains the poem better than anything..thanks for that insight 😊

[wordman]

most just got started at 17,,my pleasure

[Einstein Noodle]

I like the title ... it kind of says it all .. i think the opening line is strong .. its direct .. clear and concise and puts me instantly in her mood ... it makes me think of "mid-life crisis" kind of thing ... your protagonist has put some ground behind her .. perhaps the children are grown and gone .. or ready to leave .. she seems to have lost something that gave her purpose and realizations feel like shockwaves .. for me your closing is tragic .. she has seen something in the mirror ... and even more sadly than your opening ... she walks away ... the same person she is not happy with ... really like the brevity .. so relatable on a lot of levels ... and actually poem for all ages .. who can forget the struggles we went through as teens for identity .. ugh! give me a mid life crisis any day! :)))
E.

[Caroline B A Maguire]

Ha ha your last comment made me laugh..yes midlife crisis definitely preferable to the angst of youth..that's such a detailed and studied review E! Thankyou so much..yes the person in the mirror is saddened by what she sees but it's the unfamiliarity of the face before her that is worse..she does not know the woman in the mirror..and walks away not daring ...or not wanting to ... discover her truth..to dig deep is painful..best to keep things on superficial level even though that is at best unrewarding and at worst soul destroying...thanks again E.. on a lighter note I've been thinking bout the reviews of the poetry in cafe and some are better than the poetry being reviewed...lol..just an observation 🤔😁

[Einstein Noodle]

ahahaha .. well ... we're all practicing, i think, even in reviewing and simple conversations ;)

[spoils]

This is much more of a true poem to me, short and with empty spaces for the reader to hear like the silence between notes in music. Indeed, the thoughts are alike. I think we are born as one,life separates us from ourselves and as we age, if we try, we start to grow back together.

[Caroline B A Maguire]

Aw thank you for reading this ..and for your insight and comments..yes I believe we are all one from source ..I like that idea that if we want to we can grow back together..the journey of the inner man is the way to do that..leave the world And its falsity behind and reach within..the only life worth living..thanks again spoils fir stopping by..much appreciated 😊

[Coyote Poetry]

I have asked the same question dear Caroline.
"A face so familiar
Yet strangely not
Who are you?"
It is sad when we see a stranger in the mirror. Thank you for sharing the amazing poetry.
Coyote

[Caroline B A Maguire]

Yes ..its something I'm sure we all experience at some time in our lives.can we ever truly know ourselves? And do we really want to lol? Thank you for your positive review coyote..😊

[Coyote Poetry]

I loved your work dear Caroline and you are welcome.

[sharleenm]

I like that idea, of we never really see ourselves. You never see yourself in the moments that make you who you are. I think.
Beautifully written poem.

[Caroline B A Maguire]

Suppose we never see ourselves how others see us anyway..prob a good thing ! It was sort of about how I would sometimes look in the mirror and just see a stranger..and say to my reflection..who are u ? I dont really know ..If that makes sense ? Prob as you say the moments when we are our true selves we are doing other stuff than looking at our reflections ..we are living.. thanks for reading..and liking. Much appreciated 😊xo

[sharleenm]

I get it, welcome friend