And all she sees staring back
Is a monster
The visual representation
Of the numbers on the scale
Beneath her feet
When she’s forced to use them
Somebody that deserves to be hidden away
Under loose, black clothes
And fake confidence
An oversized body to be ashamed of
A blotchy red face covered in scars
Untameable hair with a mind of its own
And a list of symptoms from a medical condition
That nobody ever wants to hear about
Filled with a hatred so intense
Her vision starts to blur as she turns away
From the reflection
Leaving it wondering what it has to do
For her to finally find a way
To love it
Her friends look at her and see
Somebody fiercely loyal and kind
Full of bad jokes and loud laughs
Somebody who is always trying to be better
Her family look at her and see
A force to be reckoned with
Full of strong opinions and passionate debates
Always ready to defend whoever needs it
Her colleagues look at her and see
A team player
With a keen mind and a strong work ethic
Always willing to learn
The internet sees her as somebody who is trying
To live life to the fullest
Juggling a constant stream of hobbies and interests
As she tries to find her place in the world
Her enemies see her as frustratingly unstoppable
Somebody who has always got back on their feet
Every time they’ve put her down
When it would have been easier to let them win
Her younger self sees her as a role model
Somebody who scooped up their childhood dreams
And ran with them, and keeps running still
Every day feeding her inner child and letting her live safely inside her heart
She knows all of this
And more
But still she doesn't have a single kind word
To say about herself
Still her relationship with mirrors has been damaged
Beyond repair
Still she covers up her reflection every day
So that she does not have to see it
Hoping that keeping it out of sight
Really will keep it out of mind
And never finding that
To be true