lei fraser

Candle light in the mirror,
A dancing reflection of quiet contemplation
While I sit, mulling over the contents of another day
A sparkling laugh like shining sun through the window
A selfless gift from a cherished friend,
Shapes a smile on an otherwise sullen face
The mirrors in the hallways, the rooms,
no longer show the unseen corners, the lurking shadows
The nightmares that cannot find words in daylight,
but the faintest glimmer of something more
My face a flash in the space of this breath and the next one,
flesh drawn out and over a lifetime of
Heartache and shame, sorrow and joy
No trace of the unfolding butterfly
ripe with internal yearning,
Waiting until the time comes to unfurl
What hope can be found in this silvered glass?
What kernel of light, of love, of freedom?
Then, as the sunlight faded,
drawing out the stars from their slumber
How can I not slip to the floor beside them
and listen in awed silence
while the words I love you
are sung from their lips
And their kisses….their embrace
more like the butterfly than I
A smile sneaks passed the melancholy sentinels
a warm and tender caress that smoothes the creases
of worry , and shadowed pain
something in me, unfolds once more
I see myself reflected perfectly
in their laughing eyes, that betrays wisdom
beyond the years held in their bones
I find my place to wander from,
in the whole of my daughters’ eyes
~