A Love Letter from My Reflection

I can't help but to transfix my gaze

Even if only from the corner of my eye

From the shiny glass of a grocery store window

Or a moment's pause in a hallway mirror

Before you go out to face the world

I see you in three-dimensions

Rainbows bouncing off of curve and bone

And every angle is beautiful

The broken parts and those that have mended

Your strength - of body, yes - but also heart and conviction

I see when you are spent, which seems more often now

And love you still, because of and in spite of it.

I wish you could see me the way that I see you

But too often you look my way with loathing

The best days, I think, are when you don't look at me all

Because in those moments at least there is hope

That maybe you realize you are something

Beyond the flesh and freckles and folds

~Something of value~

And you may think me silly,

But every now and then I entertain the thought

That I will one day meet your eyes with a smile

And a knowing that we feel the same for one another

At last

Admiration, understanding and, above all, love

But I would be lying if I didn't tell you

That it's been 35 years and I am growing weary

How long can my love go unanswered

Before it becomes too hard to bare and

I am gone for good?