The earth shook beneath her
From the thunder vibrating the ground
She reached inside her pocket
For the letter she had found

A tear drop drying on her cheek
the breeze touching her skin
Chills running down her spine
Warm blood dripping off her chin

Broken bones and bruises
From her head down to her toes
Born to suffer, she thought to herself
Wiping the snot from her swollen nose

Open wide and oozing blood
From the crack on top of her skull
Exposing what she truly was
Exposing the bumbling fool

Before her in the distance, alas,
she could see a bit of light
Unsteady but steadily inching toward
The suffering must end tonight.

For new life to begin, it read,
She knew she would have to die
To live this way forever, it said
She would wither away inside

Edging closer to the glow
A shape began to take form
It was a mirror in the distance
That she was going towards

It had been quite some time now
Since she had seen her reflection
Vanity gone with her pride some time ago
She despised all their attention

Long before she felt that ache
Before her wounds began to show
eyes all on her stung like flames
The firery lies they all had told

Wanting only what they saw
Her longing for them to truly see
She rarely gave away her lust
For any love that would never be

Continuing on her journey she cried
She opened the letter once again
Scanning the words for courage
It could have only been from him

Closer to the monster she got
The mirrors reflection told no lies
Swallowing the lump in her throat
Telling herself her final goodbye

Beside the mirror lay a glass
She knew it was meant for her
The note clearly read, drink all at once
Very sorry, but it will hurt.

Reaching for the glass she drank,
eye to eye wth her filith and decay
Stairing down the she, she had made
Growing weak and turning grey


The empty cup fell from her hand
and shattered on the ground
Clawing at her throat for breath
She tried to scream but made no sound

Unbearable pain from guilt and shame
was smothering her to death
An aching like no other before
was all she felt with her last breath

Coming to, infront of the mirror
Opposite side of where she was
She placed her hand on top her head
Felt no oozing, saw no blood

She stretched her arms above her head
As if reaching for the stars
Then jumped up and down atleast 10 times
No bruises left, where were the scars?

A stinging but dull reminder awoke
It had dug its home inside her heart
She was to never forget all it took away
life had simply ripped her all apart

Infront of her lay a pile of bones
In the mirror where she once stood
Keeping that image, not in her heart
But in her mind, for her own good

Behind her she could feel a pull
Something, perheps someone she wasnt sure
She had done it, she thought, she had lived to die
to live to become her

Turning around the options where slim
One path, one road to walk down
It must lead to him, to all of them
No better time, her time was now

On the ground was another letter
who else but left for her
come home my love, we miss you, it read
He wrote them both, now she was sure

She put the note inside her pocket
Walking with her held high
At peace with what she had come to know
Living was to suffer and living again was to die.

Jennifer D. English