the girl i can't see

the past stares back, a haunting, still frame,

a girl cloaked in insecurity's cruel flame.

i search for flaws, where only grace appears,

her spirit broken by unspoken fears.

oh, the tangled lies, they spun and they wove,

a web of venom, in her fragile grove.

each word, a hammer, striking her core,

until her own image she could bear no more.

she hid from lenses, from every gaze, 

lost in a self-made, darkening maze.

yet, in these fading pictures, a truth unfurls,

a breathtaking beauty, lost to the world's harsh hurls.

how could she be blind?

my heart whispers low,

to the exquisite person, she failed to know.

i cling to these images, a desperate plea, 

for the girl I see there, to finally be me.

but the mirror today, a desolate sight, 

reflects only shadows, dimming the light. 

the girl from a week ago, a phantom's embrace,

why can't I find her in this lonely space?