when you look in the mirror
sharp vision
the image looking back
reflects images
forced on your mind
forged with Fate
up down in out
rain or Sun
dark or Light
incandescent/opaque
flowering or deceased
and all the miscellaneous stops
between
you
can forge Light
create elaborate bridges of hope
over cracks in earth
break through granite inequities
with a jackhammer of wisdom/truth
construct success
from the scraps remaining
you are
a figment
of your own imagination.
Photo: Shutterstock
Jacquese Armstrong is a writer/poet/mental health advocate residing in Central New Jersey. Her work has appeared in Black Mental Health Network, Black Magnolias Literary Journal and BLACKBERRY: a magazine, among others. She was a 2015 recipient of the State of New Jersey Governor's Council on Mental Health Stigma Ambassador Award.
