Reflection

[Guest Ryou]

Reflection

I gaze upon the mirror and I look upon the glass.

I gaze upon the features and I gaze upon the mass.

Is it me? I wonder. Is it me? Who knows?

Is the one inside of me the one the mirror shows?

Or am I something different? My features, are they right?

Is the person I’ve become beyond the sense of sight?

I yearn to look much better. I yearn to look my best.

By being in this body, I take the greatest test.

I may not look so pretty. I may not look like much.

I may not have the eyes or nose or lips or hair and such.

But deep within my inner being, I see something great.

I see somebody lovable and really hard to hate.

If I look within my heart instead of what I see,

I’m able to see different worlds deep inside of me.

Those worlds are not perfect. Sometimes the journey’s rough.

But if I can survive the pain, I know that is enough.

If I cannot love myself, there is no point in life.

So I will see the good in me; get through the wicked strife.

In times of pain, I have survived and gained some strength and wealth.

If that is what has come to be, I’ll always love myself.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I know this sounds silly, but I was thinking along the lines of "Bein' Green" by Kermit the Frog when I wrote this. "Bein' Green" appeals to Kermit personally in the fact that by literally being green, he faces many troubles, including often blending in with other things. At the end of the song, he realizes that green is a beautiful color because, if he looks at the bright side, there are many beautiful things associated with it. However, that is just one way to look at the song. It also appeals to many different people facing many different issues including race, individuality, and just plain being different. So although Kermit was addressing HIS color personally, the song could be applied to different situations. Kermit decided he would explore things a bit deeper, which is inspirational in and of itself.

That's what I was at least attempting to do here. Personally, this poem is addressing my gender issues. However, it can be applied to other situations and can be interpreted in different ways by different people. I wanted to try and write something that I could relate to personally, but would have a universal appeal. If I have failed at that, at least I tried. Even if this poem doesn't seem great to others, however, it will still be able to be a personal sentiment, something I poured passion into even if it does not deliver to the audience. At least it delivers to myself...which reminds me of the message in "Sing a Song," one of the most heartwarming Sesame Street tunes of all time. A brief excerpt:

"Sing, sing a song

Make it simple to last

Your whole life long

Don’t worry that it’s not

Good enough for anyone

Else to hear

Just sing, sing a song."

[Guest Jack Solomon]

I really like it, Ryou. Thanks for sharing.

Solomon