Dear Mirror

This past year has came and gone,

Another winter come and past,

And as I sit here, illuminated by the soft glow

Emanating from my screen,

I wonder, how have I changed?

There are the obvious ways,

through my height and my age,

Even my numbered days, slowly ticking by,

Yet I wonder, how have I changed?

Underneath all of this,

Past my forced smile and cracking hands,

past my reluctant hellos and my eager goodbyes,

Still I wonder. How have I changed?

Surely I didn't use to be like this,

So cold and so cynical,

Seeking comfort in the vices of another,

I sit here in agony, wondering just how I have changed.

I look outwards,

pleading with anyone who is willing to listen,

Yet all I hear is silence.

How have I changed?

I'm yelling now. Screaming.

Anything to drown out that horrid question,

Yet nothing works. It still sits in the back of my mind, refusing to go away.

How have I changed?

I'm slump to the floor, feeling numb in the worst ways possible.

Yet still this question goes unanswered.

After what feels like forever, I am still unsure

On how I have changed.

And so,

I turn to you.

As a last stand, a means to an end.

I beg of you, please answer this one simple question for me.

How have I changed?