Standing on trembling legs, 

I faced you, Miss Mirror, once again 

You glared at me, wide eyes so familiar 

There are clear tears in your glassy, grotesque face 

A sob rises in my throat 

Gasping, choking, head bobbing above water 

I can’t remove my gaze, even as tears start to pour like harsh rain 

When the sky is blue, we smile at one another 

But the dark clouds have settled overhead, a declaration of war 

Through the dusty, breakable glass, the reflection begins to wobble 

From the battlefield, I watch the waves from afar 

The water rises, falls, in your shadow 

Tall and imposing 

You tower over me 

You are so big 

I wish we were small enough blend in with the salt in the water 

Your solid shape works to contort me into something new 

An ungodly combination of the fragments that make you 

My fingertips run against your fragile glass, 

I remind you just how breakable you are 

My weak fingernails scratch across your frame, 

A sickening screech in its wake 

The engraved daisies seem to wilt 

In return, you reach out 

Strike me against the chest 

The face 

The legs 

The body 

My body 

Your body 

Ours 

Your silver fingers wrap around my ankle 

And together, always together, 

We begin to sink beneath the black waves 

Miss Mirror echoes my screams back at me 

She haunts me, follows me 

I throw dirty towels over her, but her presence remains 

Her dust fills my lungs 

And I weep and cough violently at her feet 

Bringing up glass and dirty ocean water 

I look into our reflection 

With one swollen hand, I slam into her 

She shudders beneath my touch 

Spiderweb cracks traveling down,  

Down, 

Down, 

Leaves bloodstains on my pale skin 

She is dyed red too 

She is a stranger playing dress-up in my skin 

Miss Mirror just wails in betrayal 

But doesn’t she know? 

I’m sick of fun house mirrors.