Can you tell?

Can you tell?

The exact moment you stopped.

Was it one of the countless times

You looked in the mirror and didn’t like what you saw?

Or was it on one of those days

You passed by the mirror,

But you dared not look into it?

I think I know when you stopped.

I think it was during those times

You fell for the wrong man,

The one you thought was

A dream come true,

But turned out to be

Your wildest nightmare.

I’m sure I know the moment you stopped.

It was probably during the times

You weren’t getting it right.

The day you didn’t ace the exam as expected.

Or was it the day you lost that contract you put all in?

Oh, was it during the days you felt like

You were falling,

You were a failure?

The days that voice you once fought against,

But gave up fighting against,

Crept into your head as if it was a daily routine.

It wasn’t. It was an hourly thing,

Screaming into your being—

“I’m not enough.

I’d never be good enough.

I’m a failure.”

The voice that once sounded distant,

Like it belonged to another,

Now mirrors your own.

Now, it’s glaring—it’s you.

Can you tell?

The moment, day, or period you stopped loving you?

Which look in the mirror made you realize?

Which heartbreak made it glaring?

Which failure sealed it for you?

When exactly did you know that you hate you?

Can you tell?