Unbroken Mirror Poem by Shirley Harrison

And as she called it love

and put him on his very own pedestal

I watched in silence


she was beautiful

yet her soul seemed empty


her eye's dark, sunken as the depth of the deepest sea


the sad thing was

she could never see it for herself

blinded by her need not to acknowledge the truth

glancing in the dark broken mirror

was something she could never bring herself to do
for fear of losing to denial

she brushed it all off

as if it was dust from her bookshelf

reading, oh yes

she loved to read

yet, she left her books upon those shelves covered in dust


and all he did
was remind her
she was worth nowt

until one day

she found the courage to stand up for herself

the pedestal finally taken back

those shelves now dust free

Just open books of her favorite poets

men who actually taught her something
of love

once again, she believed

and each morning

she dusts those beautiful books

with eyes that sparkle

the thing most extraordinary to me?


she never spoke with anger in her voice, of those darkest yet most unforgettable moments

she'd simply say

I wouldn't be me without them

and I?


well, I silently admire her beauty


from the reflection

in the now...

unbroken mirror.