My eyes, livid, look back at me.
A stranger, reflected in the mirror.
Undeniably, she is me,
but there is something different
in her appearance.
I had not realized the change.
My face gaunt, cheekbones sharpened.
My brown-golden eyes,
once sparkling like amber,
now dull and flat.
Thin lips, drawn tight.

My eyes, livid, at the reflection.
Looking at the stranger before me.
As if the grief and misery
had eaten me alive;
as if I were starved.
Hungry, not for food,
but joy and hope.