Cracked

by Riana Caggianiello

A cracked mirror 

cannot hide 

what lies in the dark.

All the shame 

pouring out of me 

cannot 

distort the ugly reflection, 

until an unrecognizable 

person stares back. 

A cracked mirror

emphasizes the broken 

pieces living inside of me, 

brought to life 

when the burning in my eyes 

turns to fire. 

And tears 

are the only way to extinguish. 

I laugh at myself, 

before they can laugh at me.

I insult myself, 

before their insults 

turn into a monster

hiding in the darkness.

A cracked mirror 

cannot force someone 

to turn a blind eye 

to all the issues 

the person in the reflection has. 

A cracked mirror 

relies on the weak. 

Their shame a pile of dirt, 

so heavy 

it has nowhere to go, 

but the bottom of someones 

worn out shoes.

The greatest joke of all 

is me. 

Staring 

in this cracked mirror,

revealing truths 

I don’t want to know. 

Tell me I am useless 

Tell me I am ugly 

Tell me I am worthy of nothing 

Tellmetellmetellmetellme

Tell me I am beautiful 

Please, 

I’m in the dark

and I don’t want to be. 

Riana Caggianiello is currently working towards a degree in Creative Writing and Professional Writing, you can usually find her in the middle of the night writing or reading romance and fantasy novels.

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