Hidden Among Velvet

Hidden Among Velvet

-After Amanda’s Poem

I used to peer over the edge,

my nostrils picking up the sweet scent
from the dresser’s gloss.
I would walk backwards
until I saw my reflection
in the mirror, that hung on the wall
above the caramel paneled drawers.
My reflection glowing
as if gold were freckles.
On my toes, with my hand stretched,
I fingered jewelry boxes and perfumes
that cast pinks and blues
onto the paneling.
 
I now look down at the chipped gloss,
stained with nail polish and substances
long forgotten, I run my finger
over what still shines.
I lift my eyes to the mirror
that seems to betray my image,
I’m either too wide or unproportioned.
My ears stick out too far from my head
or the lobes hang too low.
The caramel paneling has abandoned me,
adding a yellow hue to my pale complexion,
making me look jaundice.
 
In the jewelry box
left by my mother,
when it seemed that she’d left us,
hidden among folds of velvet
were the pearls of my youth.