Unknown Woman

In the mirror I saw her smile and tie
Her hair behind her ear, then I
Looked hard at the enigmatic stare,
Tried to discern a meaning there.
It seemed to ask
If behind the mask
Was a stifled cry.

In the windows I glimpsed her walking by
So unsubstantial, shadows against the sky,
As she meandered in and out of light
Then disappeared, into the silent night.
She seemed to say:
Is there a way
For hurt to die?

I dare not know, I cannot tell what pain,
If stirred, would soon surface once again;
What half-forgotten former errors
Would be transformed into present terrors.
Until I know
What can make them go,
Here I'll remain.

Within this world we're born and live and die
And while we're here we gaze at life and try
To build a framework which will stand,
To find and grasp a helping hand.
I offer no pretence
That I can make sense
Of the woman who is I.