Iris Nazarene

The Faintest Outline

I try to see myself clearly,

but the mirror fogs with doubt,

my mind reshaping every curve,

every line,

into something cruel.

I trace the parts I hate

until they feel permanent,

like scars no one else can see.

People tell me I’m fine,

I’m beautiful,

I’m enough—

but their voices

never reach the places

where my thoughts whisper louder.