Young Girl In The Mirror



The Young Girl In The Mirror

I looked into the mirror,
A girl was standing there —
Thoughtful eyes of crystal blue,
Gold ringlets were her hair

She appeared to recognize
The woman whom she saw,
And searched my face adoringly,
Not bothered by its flaws

With expression soft and kind,
She sweetly said ‘hello’
Like reels of yellowed memories,
My own began to flow…

Just yesterday I was that girl,
With future, little past
Dreaming dreams that children do,
No thought they would not last

But time goes by us unaware,
Our many dreams get tossed —
The young girl in the mirror,
And all her dreams, were lost

When I looked twice the face I saw,
Was wisened by the years
A life well-lived beyond the girl,
Of happiness and tears

Though dreams awakened to replace
Those lost along the way,
Like the young girl in the mirror,
I still long for them today.

About this poem

Dreams and time tend to get away from us. In this poem a woman’s reflects on her life through the eyes of her younger self.

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Written on December 12, 2024

Submitted by susan.brumel on January 22, 2025

Modified by susan.brumel on January 22, 2025

54 sec read
161

Quick analysis:

Scheme A abcb xdcx xexe fgcg bhAh difi xjaj
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 866
Words 180
Stanzas 8
Stanza Lengths 1, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Susan Mayer Brumel

A few years ago, I retired from a thirty-five year career in hospice counseling, at which time I began writing poetry. My poems are influenced by my patients’ journeys, the compelling beauty of nature, and the human condition. A lover of all animals and most people, I enjoy spending time in nature, long walks, and reading Pablo Neruda, Blake, William Carlos Williams, James Joyce, Mary Oliver, Emily Dickinson, Maya Angelou, Leonard Cohen, and more. Baudelaire tells us to ‘be drunk’ on something every day; I am drunk on poetry and intend never to be sober! more…

All Susan Mayer Brumel poems | Susan Mayer Brumel Books

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Discuss the poem Young Girl In The Mirror with the community...

7 Comments
  • marguerite_a
    I enjoyed reading your poem. I find myself writing a lot about the passage of time and its impact on my identity. Your poem is touching in many ways but what marks my mind is how gentle the speaker's younger self (in the mirror) is towards her older self. We do need to be get that lesson on being kind to oneself as time passes and we lose much of what we had in our youthful days. I love that the younger self in the mirror gives recognition and respect to her older self and is totally unconcerned by the flaws that the persona may focus on in herself.

    The message reminds me to celebrate all that I embody in this my almost-54th year!
     
    LikeReply 18 days ago
    • susan.brumel
      Hi! Thank you for your thoughtful commentary. I’m happy you found it relatable. Happy almost birthday, Marguerite. Celebrate every moment and all that you are! Time seems to fly by faster with each passing year. ;-) 
      LikeReply7 days ago
    • susan.brumel
      Oh, and thank you for the 5 stars.
      LikeReply 17 days ago
    • marguerite_a
      Ohh thank you, Susan! Haven't thought of my birthday approaching but now, you have made me put it on my radar. (-: Bless you!
      LikeReply 17 days ago
  • ThembieAngieeMt
    LikeReply25 days ago
    • susan.brumel
      Thanks so much for the 5 stars. So happy you enjoyed it. :-)
      LikeReply 125 days ago
    • ThembieAngieeMt
      my pleasure
      LikeReply25 days ago
  • rameshs.88917
    Very nice composition on personal feelings and wonderful platform to express inner most thoughts. The poem reflects different stages like nostalgic to womanhood, unknown to wisdom and innocence to experience etc. The flow of time waits for no one.One side happiness of the past and on the other side loss of the golden childhood mingles beautifully in the lucid lines. I can say self realisation and judgement. I like dramatic monologue technique proper uses of similes images etc. Congratulations Ma'am. 
    LikeReply 125 days ago
    • susan.brumel
      Thank you for your thoughtful commentary, Ramesh. I’m so happy you enjoyed it. :-)
      LikeReply 125 days ago
  • philmaund
    This evoked so many emotions in me! Mostly completely opposite to yours...
    LikeReply 125 days ago
    • susan.brumel
      Very interesting, Phil, how it can evoke different emotions for different people. Thank you for reading it. :-)
      LikeReply 125 days ago
  • Vixility
    I’m going to share something with you that I don’t think I’ve shared with anyone: every time I hear “Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica, I’m a hundred percent convinced that it’s about an individual speaking to themselves in a mirror. Whew! Finally got that off of my chest.

    That being true, I have always loved poetry that literally plays upon reflections to reflect. Sue, this poem of yours is exactly one of those poems—and so well done!

    I swoon in deep, deep delight when writers push the limits of language to bring about an image. That line of yours: reels of yellowed memories … O.M.G.!

    I love everything about this piece.

    Speaking of poems that play on reflections to reflect, if you haven’t yet, you MUST read Thomas Traherne’s poem: “Shadows in the Water”. You and Metallica just reminded me of it.
     
    LikeReply 126 days ago
    • susan.brumel
      Thank you so much, John, for your ever thoughtful and kind words. I’m so happy you like it. I will now put my poetry writing on pause to listen to ‘Nothing Else Matters’ and read ‘Shadows In The Water’!
      So happy to ‘see’ you here, my friend :^) 
      LikeReply 126 days ago
    • susan.brumel
      What a great poem! The way the poet describes the complexities of reflection is so interesting, and the imagery is so good. It’s one of those poems you can read over and over and never be bored by it. I wanted to listen to the song and hear it like you do -that it’s about a person speaking to himself in a mirror. But I hear it a bit differently. I think he’s revealing his feelings to someone else and reflecting about them in the process. So there’s reflection, but not in a mirror. But I suppose that’s what makes good lyrics- they can be interpreted in different ways. Thanks for sharing both. I enjoyed them. :^) 
      LikeReply 126 days ago
  • Shiloh132
    Very reflective and introspective
    LikeReply 227 days ago
    • susan.brumel
      Thank you very much. So glad you enjoyed it.
      LikeReply26 days ago
  • Symmetry60
    I'm not sure if it's because I know you so well, and admire you so much, but this actually choked me up. I suppose it would be as a result of a friendship that has developed between us and my utmost respect and admiration for a woman I know to be one of the kindest spirits I've ever encountered. As well would be the ubiquitousness of the message the poem portrays and that it pertains all of us who reflect upon our lives in light of having more years behind than ahead of us. This is a beautiful rendering, Susan. You are a diamond. 
    LikeReply 227 days ago
    • susan.brumel
      Thank you, my buddy. I’m so happy you like this one.
      Your words are too kind, but they did make me smile. :^)
      LikeReply27 days ago

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"Young Girl In The Mirror" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 19 Feb. 2025. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/210574/young-girl-in-the-mirror>.

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