When I look in the mirror 

I address the wear on my face

Lines that have grown

Sewn into my visage

Hewn into my being

I’ve smiled many smiles

And the miles that I’ve walked

Have carried me to where I am now

When I look in the mirror

I remember my regrets

The things that I wish I had done

The things that I wish I hadn’t

The things that keep me up at night

The things that hold me restless

Things that are unseen 

And things that I cannot unsee

When I look in the mirror

I peer into the corners

Uncertain of what plagues the edges

Unaware of the tumultuous state the other resides

I confide my fears in the mirror

I speak “O, mirror, may you hide my imperfections,

And let the world near me be silent.”

I sit deeply with my thoughts

When I look in the mirror

I swear to God Himself that I see something

Movement in the corners of the room

Scuffling in the shadows that cloak me

Concealing themselves in darkness

They say my name, they call to me

They wait for me to grant them audience

I try to ignore them

When I look in the mirror

The light dances and the night holds me

I feel its fingers wrap around my shoulders

Clutching me tightly, squeezing, pulling

I hear the gnashing of ugly teeth

I smell the rot of death off of carrion slivers

I can taste my own blood wring out from inside me

I see into my own black soul as tears roll down my face

When I look in the mirror 

I know that it’s not me looking back

I reach out and touch the mirror

Feeling the glass fade as I grasp at fingertips

I cross the threshold into something new

I take one more breath

As the light disappears into the inky black

I know that this was always meant to be

When I look in the mirror

What’s left of me fades

I can hear the scratching go quiet

Something of that scratching stays

As it was, so it is

Something of that saying says

I will be no longer

I will have no more days