Reflections of Youth

I glace at myself in the mirror,
I see untamed hair,
And bitten nails.

I look at myself in the mirror,
I see my mother’s mouth,
But my father’s smile.

I stare at myself in the mirror,
I see a child behind my eyes,
And a giggle behind my lips.

I laugh to myself in the mirror,
For I see joy within my heart,
And youth within my soul.

Yet I cry to myself in the mirror,
For I see fear in my mind,
With the knowledge that I am getting old.

—By Isabella Fortuna