THE MIRROR 10 YEARS LATER

 THE MIRROR 10 YEARS LATER

I wrote this poem in 2013…when I was younger…perhaps a little bolder…

today I am reworking it…now that I’m 10 years older.

These days when I look into a mirror I’m sometimes appalled at what I see…

for I don’t always recognize the person who is looking back at me.

I know I’m better looking, you can be assured of that.

which makes me wonder…who is this person I am looking at?

I know I am much younger and I know I have more hair

so I can’t possibly be that person looking at me over there.

Look at all those lines on him and his cheeks are much too packed

It’s hard to say…I’m not quite sure…perhaps this mirror has been cracked?

Is this a fun house mirror?  Perhaps there is a blotch on it…a smear

because I know my nose and ears are not as large as they appear.

Yes, there’s definitely something wrong with this mirror…all my muscles look so small…okay, now I’m certain that the person over there can’t be me at all.

No…wait…upon further reflection…looking over and over again

I see the person looking out is the same one looking in.

It’s funny…even though I’ve added more time upon my shoulders 

It’s only in the mirror I realize…I am 10 years older.

Most of the time I feel younger, like when I was 17 or 22

and I think when I see me in a mirror…I should look much younger too.

I do not wish for a mirror that will disguise, obscure or conceal

but I’d like one that shows not only how old I am….but…how young I feel.

Then when I look into the mirror I would be happy with what I see

an old man who’s still young at heart…smiling back at me.