Your poem really gave me something like a "gut punch" in that I recognize how the mirror has acted as a staunch inner critique, calling me all sorts of nasty names and reflecting back to me the most unflattering images. A mental surveillance for sure! And that part about smiling... Ha! It reminds me of how I used to practice smiling in a way that would please others. Nowadays I practice the resting bitch face in defiance!
Lily—yes, exactly. You’ve caught the pulse I placed there. It still amazes me how easily the mirror takes on the role of surveillance once we have been taught to see ourselves through others’ eyes. The smile—how many times rehearsed for someone else. Good to see you reclaiming space in front of your mirror too. 🪞
Thank you so much for your inspiring prompt! Speaking of surveillance, I used to work as a foreign correspondence in China and always suspected spy surveillance behind the mirror in the state-run hotel I stayed in. I actually encountered spies who listened in to my phone calls to my radio station, lol!
What a wonderful creative answer to this prompt Lily. I have seen that NPR interview you shared, I did not make the connection then, and that was you, right?
Hi Jay, oh yes, maybe you were thinking of Louisa Lim, the former NPR journalist who worked in China for a long time? I did not work in such depth as she did, so she has seen much more and probably been spied on much more than I had. But yes, what an experience. The mirror took on a completely different meaning in this contest!
Yes you can. I recorded it on my balcony overlooking my garden with big old trees. My sister in law has so far counted 43 different bird species inhabiting the garden in my rural German town.
This is powerful Jay. Interesting that the mirror says it is made for surveillance! Yes! And how it wants us to stop asking it to lie. Your piece speaks of that familiar struggle when we look in the mirror trying to twist our reflection into something it's not. And why do we feel we should be smiling ? I am inspired after reading this piece to see what is really in front of me, without imposing anything..
Thank you so much. I'm really glad you caught the line about surveillance—yes, exactly. The mirror often serves the gaze of others long before it offers anything true. And yes, this pressure to smile, to soften what’s real—it’s so deeply ingrained. I’m moved that the piece inspired you to meet your reflection without expectation. That’s the quiet liberation I keep returning to. Grateful you’re here, witnessing alongside. 🪞
I love being able to see the poem laid out on the page AND to hear you read it aloud. Thank you for sharing both. My favorite line: "you want a mouth that remembers delight/ I want you to stop asking me to lie." The back and forth staged by the mirror (the "you want this, I want that" pattern) epitomizes its duality/reflective properties, but it's also just dynamic and engaging to read. <3
Thank you, Rey—that means a lot, especially coming from someone so attuned to the bodymind weave. I'm glad the back-and-forth mirrored voice resonated with you; I wanted it to carry that tension between longing and refusal, recognition and resistance. And yes—“you want a mouth that remembers delight” is probably the line closest to the core ache behind the whole piece. Grateful you received it with such care. 💛
Your poem really gave me something like a "gut punch" in that I recognize how the mirror has acted as a staunch inner critique, calling me all sorts of nasty names and reflecting back to me the most unflattering images. A mental surveillance for sure! And that part about smiling... Ha! It reminds me of how I used to practice smiling in a way that would please others. Nowadays I practice the resting bitch face in defiance!
Lily—yes, exactly. You’ve caught the pulse I placed there. It still amazes me how easily the mirror takes on the role of surveillance once we have been taught to see ourselves through others’ eyes. The smile—how many times rehearsed for someone else. Good to see you reclaiming space in front of your mirror too. 🪞
Thank you so much for your inspiring prompt! Speaking of surveillance, I used to work as a foreign correspondence in China and always suspected spy surveillance behind the mirror in the state-run hotel I stayed in. I actually encountered spies who listened in to my phone calls to my radio station, lol!
What a wonderful creative answer to this prompt Lily. I have seen that NPR interview you shared, I did not make the connection then, and that was you, right?
Hi Jay, oh yes, maybe you were thinking of Louisa Lim, the former NPR journalist who worked in China for a long time? I did not work in such depth as she did, so she has seen much more and probably been spied on much more than I had. But yes, what an experience. The mirror took on a completely different meaning in this contest!
Sorry, I meant "context".
Can I say that I loved the birds chirping throughout?
Yes you can. I recorded it on my balcony overlooking my garden with big old trees. My sister in law has so far counted 43 different bird species inhabiting the garden in my rural German town.
Thanks for the mention
you are welcome. This Creative Challenge is also about amplifying voices and that’s what I try to do. Lift others up.
This is powerful Jay. Interesting that the mirror says it is made for surveillance! Yes! And how it wants us to stop asking it to lie. Your piece speaks of that familiar struggle when we look in the mirror trying to twist our reflection into something it's not. And why do we feel we should be smiling ? I am inspired after reading this piece to see what is really in front of me, without imposing anything..
Thank you so much. I'm really glad you caught the line about surveillance—yes, exactly. The mirror often serves the gaze of others long before it offers anything true. And yes, this pressure to smile, to soften what’s real—it’s so deeply ingrained. I’m moved that the piece inspired you to meet your reflection without expectation. That’s the quiet liberation I keep returning to. Grateful you’re here, witnessing alongside. 🪞
I love being able to see the poem laid out on the page AND to hear you read it aloud. Thank you for sharing both. My favorite line: "you want a mouth that remembers delight/ I want you to stop asking me to lie." The back and forth staged by the mirror (the "you want this, I want that" pattern) epitomizes its duality/reflective properties, but it's also just dynamic and engaging to read. <3
Thank you, Rey—that means a lot, especially coming from someone so attuned to the bodymind weave. I'm glad the back-and-forth mirrored voice resonated with you; I wanted it to carry that tension between longing and refusal, recognition and resistance. And yes—“you want a mouth that remembers delight” is probably the line closest to the core ache behind the whole piece. Grateful you received it with such care. 💛