Sakshi Kumar
I stand
In front of the mirror
All sixty inches of me
And stare
And
I stare meticulously
At what I see
I see skin
Holding together
Organs and muscles and bones
And extra fat
Layered and layered
And layered
Till it’s a being of it’s own
I see my skin
The shield, the cover
Stained and marked
That’s
supposed
to hold me
Together
I see my feet
Darkening with time
Holding me on the ground
Yet rendering me baseless
I can see
The dry skin
Trying so much
To hold on
To cling to
The deepest dermis
Where it once planted its roots
I see my face
The new pimples
birthing
And once again
I think
Is birth really such
a wonderful thing
I stare for a while
And then turn around
Tired
Like I have been multiple times
Before
Facing an audience was difficult
But facing myself
Always more