Poem a day - 7

For today’s prompt, write a self-portrait poem. Pretty straightforward, right? That doesn’t mean there’s not a lot of room for creativity. Just look at artists and their self-portraits; there’s a lot of differences in the self-portraits of Kahlo, Schiele, Dali, Van Gogh, and others–and not just because the artists look different themselves.


In my yoga practice
I am supposed to look at myself.
For 90 minutes - to focus on myself.

Of all the things I do
kick, pull, stretch, rest, twist, breathe,
rock, sit up, be still, lengthen, reach

by far the hardest is to look at myself.

What kind of face is that?
Where did that come from?

I don't like it

If I'm honest
I don't like it

She looks humorless
and the features vanish
in a flat, fleshy field.

I forgive that face its redness
The dull, pulled back hair
the effort
or the opening mouth.

But why is it the hardest thing
to look just look at myself?

I can look somewhere else.
At my clavicle.

At my ear.
At him - that's better.

I will try again tomorrow
to just look at this person.

To keep looking.
To notice that we breathe
at exactly the same time.

to reach

and to love her
for her breath.
as we do
I can see
have that in common.