My Very Best

Ivory Skin (Bill Temple)

Ivory Skin

She stood in front of the mirror and stared
Looking at her every feature
The long red hair
The emerald green eyes
Sculptured nose
Perfect lips
Ivory skin
.
"Are you as sad as me?
You don't look as sad.
You don't look like you have just had your heart ripped out
and thrown into the gutter.
You don't look like someone whose life is over,
who feels like she doesn't have anything left to live for,
who feels life has passed her by,
who feels she will never love again."
.
"Are you as lonely as me?
You don't look as lonely.
You don't look like someone who has just lost their best friend,
their lover, their eternity.
You don't look like someone who feels friendless,
who feels the whole world has abandoned her,
who feels like the only person alive,
who feels she will never be whole again."
.
"Are you as lost as me?"
You don't look that lost.
You don't look like someone who has had their path in life
overgrown with hatred.
You don't look like someone wandering,
whose perfect plan has been torn apart,
whose dreams of the future have been shattered,
Who feels she will never be whole again."
.
She put her hand up to the mirror
The glass surface was warm and smooth to her touch
She gazed at her reflection a few seconds more
.
"You don't look like me at all."
.
She turned quickly and walked out of the room
.
The image in the mirror remained,
hand still up to the glass
A single tear escaped one of her emerald green eyes
and slowly rolled down her ivory skin

Bill Temple 2012

This Poem actually went #1 back in 2012, with over 75,000 reads.