duszynska art.

Mirror, mirror, what you see?

By

Paulina Duszynska

Mirror, mirror, what you see?

He screamed and screamed,
until the scream became him.  
A hyena, twisted and snarling—  
I stood back, watched him turn  
into something less human,  
something I learned to avoid.  
But the ground beneath me felt it,  
like gravity knows when you’re trying to fly.  
It pulled me down,  
harder, faster—  
my body gave in to the weight  
of his madness.

I cried,  
but not to be heard.  
I cried because that’s what you do  
when there are no words left.  

His scream,  
so raw,  
it turned to agony,  
and I froze—  
paralysed, because isn’t this how it goes?  
The one who screams takes everything,  
and you—  
you are left  
to hold the silence.

Then, like nothing.
Blink, and the monster smiles.  
He made me smile back.  
Not out of joy,  
not even out of fear,  
but out of relief.  
Relief that for a second,  
the beast is tamed.  
And I’m safe—  
for now.

But the mirror—
it never lies.  
It shows what I won’t admit:  
I’m tired, so tired,  
and when I run my fingers through my hair,  
I find nothing but loss.  

Empty strands slipping through,  
like everything else I’ve tried to hold onto.

I realised
this monster was
me,
and my greatest enemy was who I saw
in the mirror.

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