Mirrors

The full length mirror
in my bedroom makes
my skin darker;
paints me in a
warm dusk-lit glow -

I positioned my bed
adjacent so I’m the first
thing I see every
morning.

The one in the bathroom
bleaches my teeth,
and yellows the greens
of my irises

in the evenings,
the one in the hallway
is more flattering.

I cannot love a reflection
of me that

tiredly gawks
back on the train

or

cannot smile a broken
smile due to the lurid
dentist light hanging
over any shop store
mirror whilst naively
thinking my insecurities
might have vanished
since the last time I cracked
a grin and it was mistaken
as vanity but in reality
it’s the duelling
duality of how I see me
and how the mirror
sees me -

I cannot love a reflection.

Some days,
it is easier to love
the person staring back.