the image of my body in the mirror –
mirrors are not broken objects
though they misjudge us –
cause our features to seem misaligned –
the scars, stretchmarks, lines scored by hems,
and inch across a body
which has done well, incredibly
to take me this far
despite my reluctance
has carried me through
the hardest of moments –
championed me
even when the final hurdle
seemed to be insurmountable

where then does my source of unhappiness with my image come from –
this estrangement
i feel from my –
self

is it the dysphoria
that causes me to feel so unattached
or the anxiety that fills my body with a fear, a fight this or flee from it,
or was it that easiest of scapegoats, the media, which creeps like a deadly gas into our psyche,
compare &contrast, with no *filter used disclaimer at the bottom of every advertisement, product, placement,

maybe i only need to put some labels on my image and push the panic down

find a way to survive
K.L

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