My Relation to My Reflection

I look in the mirror, mesmerized by what I see.

Loneliness affects me, and when I lose sleep from thinking I sigh deeply. . .

My eyes show it, for my reflection reveals lines,

and the darkness through the window to my soul

shows signs of turbulent times,

but on the outside I look fine.

See, my struggles with drugs, street love, pistols,

along with money making

have made me numb,

and this drones through me as I come to grips with the beat of the drum.

When the rabbit has the gun, the game’s not fun, huh?

My relation to this reflection I see is like me being an uncle,

looking down to my niece, knowing we come from the same seed,

but feeling she doesn’t belong to me.

Whether it’s not liking what I see,

or hoping to see more of what’s not before me.

I fail to recognize it’s me.

My relation to my reflection reflects my relationship to myself,

the experience of separation when you can’t see the beauty in self.

The aimless task of trying to be like someone else

until that image eventually melts.

When you have no one else, you begin to appreciate self.

So I take a closer look into the mirror,

hoping to relate to my reflection. . . . . .

Marshall Jones is a 40 year old man on a lifelong journey of bearing fruit for the Kingdom of God. The author of "A Raven's Meal" (RoseDog Books), a poetry collection, he aspires to target the grey areas, and the people who are terribly misunderstood by society. Believing that everyone deserves a voice, he not only shares his testimony, but he also tries to use his gifting to share other people's experiences as well. He writes from the prison system that has housed his body for 18 years, but also from the place that has been the catalyst to his freedom. Click on the YouTube Link below for his Book. or go to https://www.redthreadpoets.com/published-works/