Window

by Cheryl Merrick

Looking in a full length mirror,
     the young woman wonders,
     “Will he like me?”
As a worried young mother,
     she gazes into the now
     somewhat battered mirror,
     and asks,
     “Am I a good mother?”
The children come
       and her mirror becomes more
      and more scratched,
Til, older, and gray,
     she approaches her mirror
     and can no longer see herself.
The shiny coating
     has been worn away
     leaving only the glass,
a window of light,
     through which she can see
     the needs of others.