Don't stare

Look at me properly or not at all

Don’t stare at me with those eyes.
The ones that judge me full force,
That see beyond those icy walls
That peer deep into my soul.

Don’t stare at me with disdain.
The way you look at someone else,
One you had no attachment to
No history, just indifference.

Don’t stare at me with pity.
As if you can’t bear to look upon
The darkness that you refused to see
But chose instead to run away.

Don’t stare as if you have the right.
To see my past and present collide,
To come back into the fold
To break down my walls again

Don’t stare if you are not willing to stay.

This poem came about following my mirror work which I spoke about as part of my journalling work, and has a dual meaning.

The first relates to those who walk away, the ones who once saw me deeply but chose to walk away. The gazes are for pity, judgement and detachment.

The second relates to the reflection in the mirror, the discomfort that comes with facing yourself in the mirror and sitting with your own emotional truth beyond the armour.

- Huihui