“Look in the Mirror!”

I

“Look in the mirror!”

she always says,

believing I’m the crook

in this family.

II

”You need to see

who you are!”  

She snaps with intensity. 

III

She wants me to look, 

thinking, I’ll see the crook. 

But, I see myself. 

Tired.

Battered.

Bruised

…deep beyond my hardened skin. 

IV

I see me,

hit over the head

with accusations

pinned down with vitriol

onto me. 

V

Through it all, 

she never looks

in her own mirror

to see the problem 

to be. 

VI

So she never sees

the person starring

back at her. 

VII

There in that mirror

she’ll see the problem

that affects her and me.