The Mirror Smiles First

I saw myself in silver glass

Not quite whole—but not quite cracked

It blinked before I ever did

And smiled with lips I swear I hid

The eyes don’t match, the frame’s too thin

The mask outside, the war within

It speaks without a sound, and then...

The mirror smiles first, then I follow

Swallowing truth that tastes so hollow

A grin I never meant to wear

Now it's mine... but I wasn’t there

I reach to touch, the glass retreats

My breath fogs up a dream I keep

I laugh, it cries. I scream, it stares—

So who’s the ghost that’s really there?

The cracks align to form a grin

I let it crawl beneath my skin

I think I liked it better thin...

The mirror smiles first, then I follow

Shadows stretch and secrets swallow

The face I knew begins to bend—

And greets me like an old, lost friend

"You blinked first."

"No I didn’t."

"Yes... you did."

"Why are you still smiling...?"

The mirror smiled first... and I shattered

Pieces fall where meaning mattered

I laugh... and now the grin feels true—

Was I the reflection... or were you?

“The mirror smiles first...”

“The mirror smiles first...”

“The mirror...”