Self Portrait

In the looking glass, a reflection pained, A self-portrait, a visage marred and strained, Unrecognizable, sight hard to bear, Time-stamped emotions etched, lines of despair. Pain and loneliness, from the eyes do peep, A mirror's truth, emotions buried deep, Over times, I seek my personal gaze, Expecting joy, yet dust distorts the maze. Compassion and kindness, I dream to find, Yet the mirror reflects a world unkind, The time's toll, a transformation untold, Once admired, now a story of the old. In mirrored self, I find both truth and art, A portrait painted by the soul's own heart.