my reflection
and I
do not behave
the way
mirror images
ought
we do not
face each other
glassed twins
one of us
safely contained
in a liquid silver pool
instead
we stand
shoulder to shoulder
in an empty room
we do not
touch
but stare
in opposite directions
studiously avoiding
eye contact
neither of us
comfortable with
our nakedness
reluctant
witnesses
to raw
vulnerability
unwilling to acknowledge
that our hearts
are secretly
needful things
marble statues
we gaze sightlessly
at bare white walls
of this stark prison
of our own design
blind to
each other
unable to offer
solace or
comfort
in these long
aching nights

© 2017 Revised 2019 Christine Elizabeth Ray – All Rights Reserved