The girl in the mirror is taller
Her hair falls in gentle waves
There is always a twinkle in her eye and a witty comeback on her lips
And her mouth is affixed with a Barbie doll’s smile

She walks with confidence
Never faltering or hesitating
My hours were spent in front of that mirror
I stared at it in a manner similar to how a poor man might have stared at a diamond

One day I looked over my shoulder and she was there
Through a window I saw her
But now her smile looked more like a leer
I walked more quickly
But I couldn’t escape

I saw her everywhere
In other people’s eyes where my reflection should have been
In shop windows
And of course mirrors
Her voice was always in my head
Maliciously whispering

Hopelessness seeped in
Trickling through the wall I had hastily attempted to construct
It was filling me up

One day a small voice in the middle of the quiet waves said no
Then a bigger voice said no
And suddenly I was screaming

My limbs flailed about wildly
Desperately trying to make contact with the dreaded surface
I landed one hit
Then another and another

Little cracks snaked up the mirror
Until it shattered
With each piece that fell to the ground the girl faded
I stared at the now-empty wooden backboard
And smirked