I am watching you from another room.
You are gazing into a mirror I bought you.
I hear you criticizing yourself
With language I would never myself utter.
I see the reflection of your beauty
With an incongruent expression.
How can you not see what I see?
Where did your smile run off to?
I am so glad we chose this house.
The door was open when we arrived
Yet we stayed outside for hours
Comfortably sitting next to this
Perfectly trimmed hedge.
We spoke of the garden we would plant
Full of sunflowers and lavender.
And we promised each other
To let it naturally grow rampant
Doing its own thing
While we kiss on the front porch.
I feel it is time to interrupt your isolation.
Enough lessons have been learned for today.
This mirror will always be here.
Take my hand and follow me outside.
We will find your smile together.
Sit here next to me, my love.
Feel the warmth radiate glowingly
From this mango grapefruit watermelon sunrise.
Remember the joy we have always had
And will have.
There is no need to be hard on yourself
Any more than a tornado self-criticizes
for uprooting trees.
Or the sun feels shame
For evaporating a lake.
We are part of nature, too.
If you catch me staring into my mirror too long
Please grab me and say "I love you"
And bring me to our garden.
Press a rose under my nose
To remind me who we are.
