constructing poetry

without a mirror

without a mirror
try to imagine
the face you’ll see tomorrow,
the new lines,
the browns shading into grey,
the scars etched
that you will gain unnoticed,
in careless places.

try to imagine
the kinds of sacrifice
that will place those lines
where they will be
so visible,
the cliffs you will climb,
the mountains you will trudge,
the thermals you will catch
to carry you high
or drop you low.

a lifetime is too short
to become the you
you think you are.
it is just long enough
to do,
to be,
to grow into--
yourself.

Prompt for: May 10, 2016 ▼

Subject or Theme: Know Thyself
Word(s) to Include: sacrifice, thermal (or any derivatives of these words)
Forbidden Word(s): know, who, what, why, I (or any derivatives, compound or hyphenations of these words)
Additional Parameters: 20 lines of free verse
Remember, do not use forbidden words ANYWHERE, including title or the brief description.