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Mirror on the wall: A poem by Munira Dalal

Mirror, mirror on the wall
In you my journey I recall
I have peeped into you when young and small
Looked in you umpteen times when growing tall

I learnt from you to smile and look beautiful always
You taught me how to look coy; and with fluttering eyes gaze
I saw in you how to walk smartly and elegantly
Looking at you I practised my elocution covertly

Seen you with sad , forlorn and teary eyes
Broken-hearted ; forced to say those goodbyes
You looked back and urged to put back that smile
The message was clear ; dark clouds will clear in a while

When I looked in you beautifully adorned as a bride
My radiant smile you reflected back with eyes beaming with pride
As the years passed your reflections were more clearer
When you showed me those first white streaks ,I screamed in horror

With time fleeting I don’t meet you often as before
The creases and wrinkles I can hide from you no more
You’ve been my friend and silent admirer for long
You now see my frail frame, but my spirit is strong

If you were to fall from the wall and shatter
Parts of myself would show in the pieces that scatter
I would join you and put you together as a whole
The reflection would not show the cracks in my soul