Mirror
By Zach Bernstein
I climb my stairs. Inhale. I reach my bedroom.
Exhale. I walk back out after a minute. Inhale.
I turn on the light to the bathroom I share
with my brother. Exhale. I am now staring at
myself through a glass mirror, where what is
seen is the opposite of what is. I stare in
longing and anticipation. A man--me--stares
back, but his gaze is one of solemnity, one of
pain. I look ahead into the mirror. The man’s
gaze retreats in his eyes. Behind him, I see the
halls of my school, a place where information
and knowledge whiz through the air above
one’s head. The vision, however, is blurred by
condensation on the glass. The man still gazes
back. The cycle of breath returns. Inhale. I
scour for something to fill the void in my
head. Exhale. To the front of my mind comes
a new vision. A perfectly imperfect vision. I
see every detail of every face and body, feel
every tear and every struggle. Inhale. I gaze
painfully into the mirror. A man stares back.
His eyes are bejeweled with curiosity and
wonder. Exhale.
By Zach Bernstein
I climb my stairs. Inhale. I reach my bedroom.
Exhale. I walk back out after a minute. Inhale.
I turn on the light to the bathroom I share
with my brother. Exhale. I am now staring at
myself through a glass mirror, where what is
seen is the opposite of what is. I stare in
longing and anticipation. A man--me--stares
back, but his gaze is one of solemnity, one of
pain. I look ahead into the mirror. The man’s
gaze retreats in his eyes. Behind him, I see the
halls of my school, a place where information
and knowledge whiz through the air above
one’s head. The vision, however, is blurred by
condensation on the glass. The man still gazes
back. The cycle of breath returns. Inhale. I
scour for something to fill the void in my
head. Exhale. To the front of my mind comes
a new vision. A perfectly imperfect vision. I
see every detail of every face and body, feel
every tear and every struggle. Inhale. I gaze
painfully into the mirror. A man stares back.
His eyes are bejeweled with curiosity and
wonder. Exhale.