So Near Yet So Far

I see myself in the mirror

(Or do I see you?)

As I brush my teeth at bedtime

Far away,

in another world,

you are waking up

As I try to sleep

and maybe to dream

I hear something

Is that time ticking away?

Or is that my heartbeat?

that drones mournfully

through the endless night

I sound like you, I’m told

and now I see, with painful curiosity

that I even look like you

My hands look like yours, my son says

And when I weep, my face crumples up

just as yours would have done

if only you let us see your tears

Your smile is more serene

My hair, more silver than yours

Is this just DNA?

or some divine miracle?

That I am destined to see myself

as if I see you,

in my mirror everyday

The only solace,

until I see you again...