A Mirror Framed with Flowers

I look in the mirror and I finally see it
The grief on her face

Her arms wrapped around her waist
Keeping her organs from spilling and spewing out of her skin

Her cheeks wet with tears that burn like spilled
coffee and car crashes and oxygen tanks

her mouth is open in a soundless cry
that only the birds can understand
when their tune shifts to a minor key

they peck at her ears like rain drops on a roof
their wings dancing as they flutter away in fear
when her knees drop to the floor

I also understand her
I feel comfort in her grief
I reach for her, caressing a warbling mirror
This also comforts me
The bendable nature of reflection

Molly Smith is currently a student at Cumberland University, working towards her BA in English and Creative and Imaginative Writing. Born in Northern Illinois, she moved to middle Tennessee in high school and enjoys being a barista, watching movies, and roller skating.