POETRY

I Caught Myself In The Mirror

And Everything Shifted

Image by Thomas G. from Pixabay

This morning
felt like a pile of undone things —
deadlines collapsing
under the weight of delays
and pointless phone calls
that went nowhere.

I watched the zeroes on my bank app,
felt the tight pull in my chest,
the kind that makes you wonder
if you’re just slowly disappearing.

I stood still in the hallway,
caught my reflection in the mirror —
hair undone, eyes dull,
wearing a look I didn’t recognize.
“Failure,” I whispered.
And that one word
sounded too true.

But then, I looked again.
And again.
Until the blur sharpened
into a face that had fought storms before.

Tears came fast,
like they’d been waiting for their cue.

And just as I sank into myself,
I heard her.
My mother.
Clear, strong —
“You are not that reflection.”