Poem by Andrew Violette

Every day, I look in that mirror and say “Everything will be alright.”

People reflect each other. When one is happy, the other follows suit; the same is true for anger and excitement. So many connections like these happen so rapidly that emotions move through people like waves. Rippling from person to person, a good day cascades outward in a tsunami of uplifting energy. Bad days on the other hand- well, they creep and slither and skulk, their foul miasma strangling otherwise blissful dreams and replacing them with kraken-filled nightmares.

I aspire to be the moon— always pulling upwards, trying to brighten the waves of emotion that reverberate through everyday life. To the troughs, she radiates the calm tranquility of “Live to fight another day.” To the crests, she extends their exultation with the passionate “Fight to live another day!” She performs a constant balancing act, calming their torrents of emotion into a cool upwelling of serenity. In the tranquil water of a thousand peaceful eyes, she then sees a pale face, shimmering in the liquid stillness. Her face.

Every day, I look in that mirror and say “Everything will be alright.”