Crystal Writes A Blog

Beyond the Mirror (a scrolling poem)

Many years ago, I was on the phone with my sister, and she was heartbroken by the changes she saw in some of the young girls in her church. Puberty had taken hold of what used to be innocent little darlings in her Sunday School class, and pride seemed to be growing faster than their maturity. All that mattered was how they looked, who liked them (in their peer groups), and what was happening next in their busy calendars. They had become too busy and self-focused to even think about God or the lessons they were once taught.

I told her it was normal, and it didn’t mean she wasn’t a good teacher or that she had dropped the ball. It was part of learning how to let go of the apron strings and reach for the future. But, having once been teenage girls ourselves, we both knew what was happening and that it could be a dangerous time when peer pressure could lead to bad decisions that could negatively affect those futures.

As much as we want to prevent it for others, most of the time, people (especially teen people 😏) must learn on their own, and sometimes by hard lessons. But we can continue to shine a light of truth around them, so they’ll know where to look when they are confused or feel beat up by unreal expectations. In that vein, I put this poem together, and I love how it came out. It was also one of my first times using PowerPoint, so with days of trial and error, I finally created a video of the slideshow to present it. A wonderful Creative Commons soundtrack made it perfect. Enjoy the video, and/or read the words below. If you know a teen or young woman that can be inspired, please share it. And now….

Beyond the Mirror

Mirror, oh Mirror, 
please tell me what you see. 
Am I beautiful? 
Do I need more makeup? 
Am I the prettiest and best, 
with shining eyes 
for the whole world to see? 

I want to be special.
I NEED to be special! 
What are my gifts? 
Can I sing? Dance? 
Who am I, 
and what can I do 
to be wonderful 
on this earth? 
Oh, Mirror... 
Please tell me.
 
~~~~~~~~

What? Look in my pocket? 
Ooh, a bunch of smiles. 
Thank you. 
They'll be perfect 
for more selfies! 

Um, tissue. Why tissue? 
I'm not sad. 
Am I getting sick? 

Hold on... What is this?
Bread? 
Why do I have bread 
in my pockets? 

Wait! Why are my arms 
suddenly looking 
so muscular? 
And my shoulders...
they're, they're getting 
so... so wide. 
Why? 
What's happening to me? 
This isn't what I asked for.
 
Mirror! Wait, Mirror... 
Where are you going? Mir... 

~~~~~~~~

Oh, hello, sad little girl. 
I didn't see you before. 
Would you like a smile? 
Oh, she took it, 
and ran away with it. 
Oh my, where did all these 
sad people come from? 
Here, you can have a smile, too.  
And so can you, yes. 

A tissue? Of course. 
Wow, I've used up 
all my smiles. 

Oh, no, 
I see another sad child. 
What do I do? 
Wait, 
would you like some bread?
It worked! 
He was just hungry.
 
~~~~~~~~

Why are you crying, lady? 
My shoulder? 
A hug? 
Sure, you can have those. 
Can I help you 
carry that burden, 
you ask? 
Yes, actually I can. 

Wow, that was easier 
than I thought it would be. 
We worked well together. 

~~~~~~~~

Whew, 
that was a busy day. 
I'm getting tired, 
but it's not a bad tired. 

It's...oh, hello, Mirror. 
Where have you been? 

One more smile, you say? 
Oh, yes, 
that looks much better on me 
than more makeup.
Thank you. 
I see the real beauty now. 

It was always there, huh? 
I just needed to look...
Beyond the mirror. 

January 28, 2026 - Posted by Crystal A Murray (aka CrystalWriter) | Creative Writing, Creativity, Devotion, Poetry, Slice of Life, Thoughts and Articles | Creative Writing, crystal a murray, Crystal Writes, crystalwriter, giving, godliness, growing up, helpfulness, maturity, meeting needs, mirror, peer pressure, poetry, pride, putting others first, scrolling poem, slideshow, smiles, video