Mirror Come Lately

Susan Shea

Is it just me or do you remember

seeing your reflection for the first time

shocked to see a face that wasn’t the one

you were just wearing to share candy canes

with your brother on a festive morning

did you keep that morphing to yourself

is it still too much to understand

what happened to the delighted little girl

living inside you, movie screen curl perfect

smiling, dancing with Bo Jangles

ready to burst into song without notice

do you carry that moment with you too

was it just the beginning of seeing stares

menacing hairs out of place, the scars

of cat scratches, being stings, and schoolings 

marking you with questions

have you come to terms with your appearances

glad your mother kept you from seeing your face

when you had the mumps and when you landed

on it at the finish line of a losing race with concrete

are you with me in this way, inside out

coming to terms with losing and finding yourself