Unstretched: My Mirror Adversary

My father always told me my strongest adversary was my own reflection. In the mirror, It always shadowed me- my own personal monster I could never escape from. I learned to hate my reflection. The biggest problem was my mirror adversary grew with me. I could never outpace It. Never throw a harder punch, never out-think It, Never do more than come to a draw with my own reflection- I was not allowed to break the glass. I learned to shatter myself instead. When I got older, those things didn’t change. Rather, I worked to outdo my own manifestation- My shadow took the same steps as me And I realized I had another opponent in the ring with me- My thoughts turned darker with the lengthening of the hours. I learned to start each day with longer strides. Today, in my house, I kept the lights off- In the darkness, I realized, there are no shadows. There are no reflections. There was only ever me. I learned how to start over. Now, my shadow and I take each step together soundly, not silently. Now, my mirror and I are at ease with each other- Our fingers only still bloodied from repairing the likeness of my shattered reflection. I’m still not whole. My mirror will always be missing pieces broken off somewhere down the roads I’ve left behind. I’ve just learned to make the most of It.