Self

do not go into the business

of asking, ‘how do i look?’

your dress, though gorgeous in

the sight of a foe feigning friendship,

may be shabby in the

sight of those folks drunk with

that wine that is poetry.

their eyes have seen worse images

and spirits as words on pages.

do not look in the

mirror to check what you wear,

how nice it fits, how stretched they appear,

how the colors blend or how necks would

break as you walk the busy streets;

look in the mirror to see your eyes

looking back at you,

your nose smelling your true self

and your ears hearing your mind’s whispers.

take heed to the whispers of your heart.

too many false selves hide in the noise

in the streets, the loud lounge music and that tot of liquor.

bind them if you please, and cast them to the devil’s dungeon-crawl

there’s a better place to be than hell.

do not look in the mirror

to check what you wear,

look in the mirror to find your true self

hidden in that whisper that is you

and no one  else

© Echezonachukwu Nduka 2014.