Trusting was easy.

No one could hurt me,

No one could not suddenly hate.

A person that is skeptical,

Who makes others earn what should be given

Would be a stranger in the mirror.

 

I wish I knew in just three years,

Through many hardships and many tears

My life would never be the same.

That person staring back at me

Would be a stranger in the mirror.

 

It started with a rumor,

A whisper of lies.

A person without integrity

Believing consequences don’t apply.

Someone without morals

Would be a stranger in the mirror.

 

But such a lie spread and grew

Until everyone believed it to be true

And those that held such trust

Turned against me too

Soon everything I had was that

Of a stranger in the mirror.

 

Depression took me in its grasp

Squeezing me of trust and joy.

It became too much

And a plan was put in place.

Facing a life-altering decision

Made me ask the question

Who is that stranger in the mirror?

 

A year later I have found hope

College, friends, love, and support

People still believe what is not true

They are not one to question old rumors or new

But their poor decisions no longer bother me

In fact, I thank them for their hurtful words and scornful looks

For if it were not for them, I would not have matured into someone

Who is no longer a stranger in the mirror.