what is this face i see?
unattractive, ordinary—
a stranger i cannot love,
a self i cannot hold

i battle with insecurities,
fighting a war of harsh words,
beating myself with my own thoughts,
pushing away the one i should keep,
but in a moment spent with you,
my eyes, once blind to my own worth,
begin to see beyond the flaws
your gaze—gentle and accepting,
turns my reflection into something new

the smile i once avoided,
now softens in your light
the laugh i tried to silence,
echoes with a warmth i didn’t know i had
through your eyes, the self i rejected,
becomes lovable, and for once, i feel like i belong

i have struggled to love me,
to find worth in my own skin,
yet in your presence, i discover a glimpse of what i could be
and though fleeting, it’s enough to make me believe
for just a moment—that i am worthy of love, that i am enough
but the truth is harsh,
i wake to find the mirror unchanged,
the delusion fading with the dawn
yet, somewhere deep, i hold onto the reflection i saw in you,
a glimpse of something real that i hope, someday, i’ll see in myself

Editor’s Note: This article was first published in the Banaag Diwa 2025: Nasaag Literary Folio of Atenews.