Each Time I Look In The Mirror Poem by Mohammad Younus

Each time I look in the mirror,
At my true reflection,
I see my authentic self—
Yet all I find is difference,
A chasm between me and my essence.
I am entangled in ambition,
An appetite for the mundane,
More fleeting with every day.

I long to conquer this false self,
To reshape it,
To bring it into submission,
Surrendering to my true essence.

I will make it realize
Its authentic fitrah—
What wouldn't I do to remind myself?
A person like me
Does not believe in giving up,
Even when resistance is stiff.
I will fight relentlessly,
Building a foundation strong enough
To return my false self to its true form.

Forever my jihad against nafs,
I yearn for a life of authenticity.

MyKoul