I have a secret mirror
—not the one on the wall,
nor the large one down the hall where laughing voices linger.
No. This is the small, secret mirror— 
sitting quietly by my bed;
The one that I never look into through the war of the day,
in the presence of others 
or while the world is loud awake. 
It’s the one I look into every night before I sleep
to look, 
 not at myself but rather,
                                        for myself.

✺5” W x 6.5” L