[This poem is closely related to the previous one named "Reflections". It is recommended to read it first before proceeding with this one.]

When he thought that he accepted

All his feelings without censure.

He still felt himself defenceless

In showing his thoughts to the world.

It wasn’t as strange as one might think,

For he was still learning his path to proceed.

And being accepted by others – was a part of his fears,

Even if this time he welcomed its presence in him.

When he tried to reveal a part of his soul,

People failed to grasp what he meant

And left him feeling painfully ignored.

Each time he thought he'd made things clear,

People saw something entirely different instead

Leaving him puzzled and misunderstood.

He saw in the people his reflections which hurt

And went into himself to search for the same mirrors inside.

But no matter how hard he was trying to find the faults in his world,

There were no mirrors like the ones he saw in the outer world.

It made him wonder if his view was still incomplete.

“Why no mirrors?” These thoughts broke him out in a cold sweat.

“What if people pull away when he shows his flaws?”

“Or maybe, even worse, use this openness against him to wound?”

He feared disappointment in the ones he loved,

Even if it made him search for some defects within his heart.

He wanted to look stronger in people’s eyes

Even if he was surprisingly tender and fragile inside.

One day he thought he found a person who could

Grasp his world through even the faintest hint of his mood.

But the person seemed unaware of his timid act,

So he decided to close himself off from that person as well.

The person was baffled by the event,

They thought they tried their best to understand.

They put their everything to help him achieve

The level of closeness for him to feel dear.

The person felt wounded and even betrayed.

Why was he so distant? Was there some mistake?

And he, on his part, hid behind his fears,

Which he accepted but was still under their weight.

Yet the person still wanted to understand,

And made an attempt to explain him

That they'd done all their best.

They had their own struggles to bear,

and that’s why it might’ve seemed not enough,

But that wasn’t because he wasn’t loved.

That’s what made him realize the truth:

He saw the person through his own view.

And all the images of himself he saw in the outer world

Were also reflected in the distorted mirrors,

Crooked by other people’s dismays and flaws.

What he saw within himself –

Was the real thing for him to explore.

There was no need to confirm himself

In people’s eyes anymore.

And if he wanted to be understood by the ones he loved

He too needed to stop seeing others through his realm,

To accept that they have their own fears

And try to hear them out to see the picture big.

And with each step, as he listened more,

He found the path to deeper rapport.