...written for a dear student who is willing to look deeply... In the Mirror

In the mirror my image in reflection
Is what I see real or is it illusion and deception
What am I yet blinded to see
That lies in secret depths within me
What word now upon my soul be a darkening veil
When it is resolve and faith I justly hail
Taunts, taunts, no longer to hold domain
Healed be this heart, I longingly proclaim.

Rose Marie Raccioppi 
Poet Laureate 
Orangetown, New York

Mariana in the South,1897, Oil on canvas, John William Waterhouse, British Painter, 1849-1917.