Realization

I'm looking at him,
he looks back.

For a while,
I see a smile,
I see joy.

I look deeper into his eyes,
behind the mask.

I see dark images;
I see sadness, doubt, confusion, even self-hatred.

I’m searching, searching for the smallest light in the darkness.
Searching for happiness, joy, understanding.
But there is none.

A tear falls from his chin.

I want to reach out to him, talk to him.
But it doesn’t matter how much I would try.
A mirror will never talk back.