"That Darn Mirror"

It started out as just an ordinary day,
not much different from any other,
but quickly turned into a memorable one,
when a stranger met me
as I began my morning ritual.
With sudden awareness I realized
It's time to tone down the makeup
and appear a tad less flamboyant.
My youth cannot be recaptured;
that darn mirror tells the truth.

What an odd feeling,
to know that I'm approaching
the autumn of my years.
I reflect, as I will probably be more prone to do
as time goes by,
and I see a pattern of a life spent in anticipation
of what might be, what I hoped would be,
and what I felt should be.
Alas, this is the time of what is.

Life will be what it will be;
I have had little to no influence over it.
The full-length mirror
which stood in the corner of my bedroom
is no more. It's in the garage
and going to the thrift store tomorrow.
The thought of looking into it each day
is something that no manner of resolve
has as yet prepared me for.

Now is the time for wearing good clothes
in the middleof the week,
not saving for a rainy day,
expecting less and letting the calories count themselves.
Letting what's inside shine through
and finding comfort in knowing I've stood the test.

Time takes it's toll, it's true, but liking
who and not what I see in the mirror, on any given morning,
just may be the secret to embracing with determined dignity,
what snuck up on me so quickly...
those soon to be autumn years.

© Marcia Miller-Twiford