Mirror, Mirror

Written By: Aashka Shroff

Graphic By: Jessye Fan

Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who’s the fairest of them all?
Young Lena stood with eager eyes,
Chasing dreams of beauty, oh so wise.

Each morning light, she’d brush and primp,
A delicate dance, a flawless glimpse.
With every brushstroke, hopes would rise,
She sought perfection, a grand surprise.

But as the days turned into weeks,
Her heart grew heavy; silence speaks.
The mirror whispered, “Just one more,”
A little touch, a little more.

Lena gazed with a longing sigh,
Each change she made, wondering why.
A flick of lipstick, a pinch of cheeks,
Her reflection dimmed; the truth felt bleak.

At parties bright, she’d shine so fair,
Yet in the mirror, she’d find despair.
“Am I enough?” her thoughts would race,
Chasing shadows in her own embrace.

One fateful night, as stars took flight,
She peered again in the pale moonlight.
“Mirror, mirror, tell me true,
Is beauty found in what I do?”

The glass replied with chilling ease,
“Your worth is found in looks, if you please.”
Consumed by whispers, she lost her way,
The girl who laughed had faded away.

Days turned to months, and hours lost,
Lena’s reflection became the cost.
Trapped in a world of glimmer and gleam,
A hollow shell of a once-bright dream.

Now she lingers, caught in the thrall,
Mirror, mirror, her only call.
“Who’s the fairest?” echoes through,
But all that’s left is the glassy view.

So heed the tale of Lena’s plight,
Beauty’s a journey, not just a light.
For in the chase, we easily fall,
And forget the heart behind it all.