The Girl I See

She looked at me
Her mouth turned down
Defeat darkening the hazel of her eyes,
A dam threatening to crumble within them,
And asked me why.
Why did I constantly
Bombard her with insults,
Why did I call her names
For not being society’s version of perfect:
The emaciated Barbie doll woman.
Why did I not love her,
And reach my arms out to others
To provide comfort from the
Sting of emptiness.
With surprise,
I looked at her and finally realized
There was truth in her words
And I told her I was sorry.
Sorry for not seeing her good qualities,
Her compassion for others,
The sparkle in her eyes.
Sorry for not seeing her beauty
Inside and out
And for blaming her
For not living up to the unattainable
Standard of perfection
I seem to require.
I reached out my arms
To give her a hug
And felt my fingertips
Touch the cool glass
Of the mirror in my room.
I settled on a smile
Just for her
The girl in me.