Face in the Mirror
A poem about how mental illness and past abuse can make you feel unrecognizable to yourself.
Face in the Mirror
Face in the mirror unknown stranger
Dark circles tell tales of danger
Cold piercing eyes see past the soul
Empathetic heart never full
Welcoming ears hear each story
Unmoving tongue conceals glory
Trustworthy nose detects deceit
Exposed thick skin old lies secrete
Possible truth denied by time
Mysteries hid betray no crime
Emotions locked inside a vault
Members in black accepting fault
Foreigner weeps longs for a home
Wandering lost, forever roam
Weak smile conceals the violent past
Visions of hope will never last
Stand at the sink and face this foe
Pale shadows haunt suspicions grow
Thinking confused rouses anger
Face in the mirror still a stranger
by Scott Ninneman
Written December 8, 2019
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Living with mental illness and/or memories of past abuse can sometimes make you feel unrecognizable to yourself.
hen the negative, dark voices come calling, they distort everything that you know to be true.
While I have learned to live a productive life with bipolar disorder, there are still times when a stranger greets me in the mirror. Those days, it’s hard to put a smile on my face or believe I have a life worth living.
Life is always worth living, though. The tears eventually stop, and the sun always rises. If you don’t recognize yourself today, just hold on. Tomorrow may be a better day.
Until next time, keep fighting.
Read next: Depth of Darkness – Another poem about living with chronic illness.
