Mirror, mirror on the wall
Tell me what you see:
Someone who once knew it all
Once looked a lot like me.
At least she thought she knew it all;
She passed all the exams
But when she had to choose a life
It all went up in flames.
It’s not easy to live alone;
Nor easy to make friends:
It’s harder still to live at home
Where childhood never ends.
When love finds you you think you’re safe
You drink the night away
Then wake up with a bitter taste
And still you wonder why?
You drink and can’t control yourself
‘To dream still greater dreams;’
When dreams fail, to console yourself:
How bitter this world seems!
Until one day enough’s enough
Of drinking, popping pills;
You need to redefine your safe
And sober place when all else fails
Mirror mirror who am I?
Now finally I see
So many flaws, but minor things
With sober clarity.

Written for dVerse ‘Come and take a selfie!’ Sarah is hosting, and she has set us the following task:
‘If you were giving me a portrait of someone else, you might pull out one feature, or one incident, or start telling me about their eyebrows and head off somewhere completely different. I’d like a self-portrait that does something like that. By the end of this we might not know what colour your eyes are, but we might know what inspires you, or how you take your coffee.’
I gave up drinking just over a year ago, and I feel I’ve learned a lot about myself since then (not all of it bad!) For instance, I don’t think I would be in the poets’ pub writing poetry right now if I hadn’t gotten sober. This is my share for tonight – now I look forward to learning a bit more about my new-found poet friends 😊
You are beautiful!
I love this.. so much you have gained from giving up drinking. There is something so many things we believe we can hide (also from ourselves) when we are drunk.
I really have gained so much and I am so grateful for the learning experience.
Ingrid, congratulations on sobriety! I appreciate your honest sharing and vulnerability. I like the clarity in your eyes and the peaceful contentment in your expression.
Thank you: I am grateful that I am now sober and sometimes thinking clearly!
🙂 <3
Well done! It’s so easy to choose the anaesthetic, brave to face yourself. I like what I see.
It’s fascinating to face myself – to find that ever since I started drinking, I’d been hiding…
This is so honest, so beautifully piercing .. like a poetic arrow through the heart. I salute you!! 💝💝
Thank you – there is a way forward even for completely messed-up people like me 😂
How brave of you to be so completely honest. I congratulate you on your sobriety and strength of character to turn your life around. I loved your poem Ingrid and the selfie ☺️💕
Thank you so much: I couldn’t have done it without the help and support of many lovely people, including those I have met in the Poets’ Pub 😊
Yes, we always know genuine care and support when we see it and feel it. I agree with you about the pub ☺️
👍🏼
Ingrid, your poem touched me deeply and will many others. Beautifully composed and deserves a huge WELL DONE!
Thank you – I always hope to help others when I write about my recovery from alcoholism.
You have aged with grace and wisdom, Ingrid. It clearly shows in this poem. Congratulations on your life’s milestone!
Thank you – it has been a tremendous learning experience so far!
so much bravery and strength here, taming your demons is not easy and you’ve done it well! Nice to know you Ingrid
Thank you: really I wanted to show others there is light at the end of the tunnel of alcoholism.
a great idea, others may not even realise they have a problem … well done you for tackling it!
Another starkly honest poem. I admire the strength of your will. You’re lucky to have a gift for words to hang onto and make into something like a boat.
I’ve also had help from others which has been crucial.
We’re nothing when we’re alone.
What an honest and heartfelt poem. Such a good write detailing your life and struggles. Good for you for getting off the booze. I love the photo. So good to connect with you on the blog!
Wonderful statement of affirmation. Sobriety is humbling, life-affirming, sometimes a challenge, and allows us to feel and be. One day at a time…..You are a wonderful and amazing person, Ingrid.
This is timely — my dissertation was on females and alcoholism and the power of language. I visited Stepping Stones (google it), met and interviewed Lois W when she was in her late 90s, almost exactly one year before she died. I met and interviewed Nell Wing who was the assistant for Dr. Bob and Bill W. I saw the desk where Bill W wrote the first “Big Book” for AA. Just last week I cam across all the photos and tapes and contacted Stepping Stones about donating them. And here I see your poem. Keep going, Ingrid! You’ve got this, one day at a time!
Thank you, Lillian! I had a friend who visited Stepping Stones: how wonderful that you met Lois W. Did you publish any of your interviews? Do you plan to? Now I understand where your gratitude comes from 😊🙏🙏