Mirror

A mirror is an ordinary thing,
but not for me.
When I look at it, it is time for me to face myself.
I talk to my other self behind the cold surface,
to my best friend whose life I share.
I tell him all the sad stories in my life
and we mourn the losses together.
I smile at him at the happiest times
and he smiles back.
We look each other in the eye
before making an important decision.
With him, I can show off, be a singer, an actor, or a president.

In that world on the other side of the foggy glass,
is the other person more confident? Is he wiser?
Or is he more self-centered?
Even though he looks the same as me,
a long-haired guy piercing me with small eyes behind glasses.

When I do not see him, does he go to school with his best friends?
Does he go camping with his cousin? Does he argue with his mom?
Does he make pottery? Play the piano? Count money?
I can’t check that, but I know he needs to see me too,
when he wants me to wink at him
as a sign of encouragement to keep dealing
with the cold world he lives in behind the shiny surface.

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Ka Fai Lam writes, “I am 22. I am from Hong Kong, and my native language is Chinese. I arrived in the United States in 2012. I like to play badminton and go camping. I always have a lot of ideas for writing, but it is difficult to write well. In my writing, I try to let the readers know my feelings.” Ka Fai Lam studies English in Polina Belimova’s CLIP class at the College of Staten Island, where Blerina Likollari is the program director.