"EYES OF A STANGER"

He stares at the mirror
The mirror stares back
with a pair of startling electric
blue eyes.
Eyes he knows,
eyes he has
never seen before.
These eyes
are different.
Different
in a way
that
scares him.
There is
pain
in these eyes.
Fear,
regret,
guilt,
and
loss
are there also.
Hidden beneath
the many layers
of sapphire
and baby
blues.
He knows these eyes,
knows the colors,
the shapes,
and the movements.
These eyes are familiar
to him.
These are the things
on the surface,
things
that everyone
sees.
These things
he can
accept

He stares in the mirror.
The mirror stares back
with a pair of startling electric
blue eyes.
Eyes she loves.
To her
these eyes hold
love,
passion,
trust,
and
empathy.
She sees
what she wants
to see.
She recognizes
the dignity
and
pride.
She does not
see
what he sees.
She does not
see
the things
lurking
in the
shadows.

He stares at the mirror.
The mirror stares back
with a pair of startling electric
blue eyes.
Eyes she loves,
eyes he fears.
The eyes of a stranger.