Mirror

I boil beneath her gaze, festering like a sore
Engulfed in flames, a pain I ignore.

Her eyes undress me, revealing what I hide
The secrets I have guarded, the tears I have cried.

She is cruel, in the way she sees,
Picking apart my serenity,
Hoisting me up, like strange fruit on a tree.

My skin scarred, like dirt in fresh snow.
I smell the burning of flesh, that I recognize as my own.

I swing back and forth, controlled by the wind,
As she whispers the weaknesses I hold within.

She cuts me down, when I've accepted defeat.
My head hangs low, like the branches of a tree.

I wouldn't dare look up, to behold my enemy.
With one look in the mirror
I recognize her as me.