imploding
looking in far too many mirrors
to catch the reflections
tailor
bite it
bite me
straighten the back
long neck
straight eyes
hair on your shoulders
stand at attention
like a teenage girl

don't knock down my point
why is that
necessary
to make this a war
to push me under

the girls crowd in the mirror
and their elbows jab each other
away as they
all redo and reframe and retrace
the lines on their faces
they will define them
give definition
the lady at the counter said

and i hate that they do
that they feel like they have to

and i hate that when they don't
their faces look so empty
white and pale
and
frail