By Emmanuella Iluebbey
With ragged clothing and torn hems,
Bruises line the length of her arms,
Criss-crossing over the recently healed scabs.
She reeks as though without a bath for long.
Her hair is shabby and outgrown,
With dirt making home in the midst of knotted, twisted strands.
Mud streaks down her face from her temples,
Dripping onto her scaly, calloused palms.
But standing in front of the mirror,
She sees none of that.
Instead, in her place is a lady.
One of seemingly high esteem.
Her body is clothed in fine, purple linen,
And silk of the finest brand.
And on her head,
A crown adorned with jewels sits.
Her hair cascades down her back,
Woven beautifully behind her.
The scent she exudes serenades the atmosphere,
Enticing those around her.
Her being gives off light and life.
She smiles at the reflection she sees,
As tears run down her face.
Perfect Expectations
This article is based on my poem, In the Mirror.
The poem is about a female who is dressed in rags. She is looking very dirty and unkempt like she hasn't had a good wash in a long time. Her hair is twisted into knots and there's dirt in it, and she stinks. There's mud dripping off her face into her hands. In fact, she is just an eyesore!
But then, she looks into a mirror and... she sees someone different!
Suddenly, she sees this very beautiful woman dressed in an expensive silk dress, with purple dye. The woman also wears a crown of jewels on her head, with beautifully woven hair flowing behind her. This lady smells nice and radiates light and life. The dirty woman smiles at the reflection she sees, while a tear runs down her face.
Humans today have mastered the art of pretense. A lot of people are not what they seem. They are worn out by their past experiences and hurt, and are hiding under veils of mock happiness. When some people look at themselves, all they can see are broken vessels holding broken spirits. They appear full of life and laughter, but on the inside... they are slowly decaying.
The saddest part is that an onlooker from the outside won't have a single clue. People have issues that they are dealing with, and not everyone wants to go about announcing them.
They go about, day after day, trying to convince others that they are good. Some are burdened with the expectations of friends, families, bosses or whoever it may be to be perfect. They simply cannot appear weak or incapable. I believe you reading this may have felt this way at least once in your lifetime, no matter how minute the situation.
In some cases, it could just be plain pride preventing them from reaching out honestly. They don't want to appear like they are struggling before their peers. For some, they fear what people would think about them. I fall into this category sometimes, and it's not a fun place to be in. However, a person cannot be perfect.
My best friend once told me that I should not expect anyone to think of me as perfect, I shouldn't expect people to see me without any flaws or defects.
The lady represents those that don't feel too good inside but have to look good outside. The poem speaks for them. Those that need help but can't find any.
As good people, we should not put pressure on others to be incapable of doing anything wrong. It is simply inevitable. As the saying goes, “no one is perfect.”