Mirror

I stand here today,
in my own future;
Life's reflection
glistening through the tears.

The shadow of a former self
Behind me ,
through the years,
turns
and walks away.

I gaze intently at my youthful spirit;
Restless,
Uncompromising,
Scared of it's true potential

How do we define our lives?
The game is hard;
The journey is short;
Friends come and go
and families grow
their separate ways.

Nothing stays the same;
Change,
our hungry ally,
hurries us along the path;
Eating at us,
from within,
as we fight for survival.

The past
nails itself to our back;
Time after time,

The nails of experience,
painful on entry,
stand as constant reminders
of everyone
we've hurt.

Everything
we,ve said and done,
we beg to remove
One by One.

But as we try to make amends
tiny holes appear in our relationships
and tip the balance
from love to despair.

As effort increases and hope fades,
We drive those we love
away
and we fall,
further and deeper
inside,
into our self...

Until we only have a reflection
to face
and judge
in the mirror of our soul.