Catching a glimpse of me in my mirror
With pang of love I see that I am growing old,
And, strangely, there in me I catch a glimpse of you.
How was it I forgot you were the one who bore me
Held me in your arms and suckled me?
How was it I forgot those freezing winter evenings
When you wrapped me in a fluffy towel and dried and cuddled me
And rubbed my arms and legs with Lanloline, so they'd not get chapped,
And brushed my whispy hair one hundred strokes
Hoping to make it thick, and long, and lustrous like you own.
And brought me cocoa and Marie biscuits
And tucked my Eiderdown around me
To keep me snug and cosy while you read my story.
But somewhere along the way you got lost
And in your place I saw a witch intend on thwarting me.
Rebellious and defiant, in you I saw my enemy,
And though those teenage battles end in a truce
They left a chasm we never could bridge.
Now seeing me there in that mirror,
And looking into me, seeing you
I understand so clearly so much I never could
And hear the love beneath your hurtful words
And know that all you ever asked of me was love.
Why did it take so long for me to find you?
And as I see that aging face staring back at me
And feel the uncertainty and fear and the ache of growing old
I long to climb into you lap;
And know so well how much you needed me
To wrap my sheltering arms around you
And ease your aging heart with a make -it -better kiss.
The title says it all.