I woke up this morning. Of all of the miracles of the universe; I woke up today. I looked in the mirror and saw a face. It was not unlike every face, but different; like every face. I saw two eyes, and within them two separate worlds. One eye-world contained a garden, thriving with fresh, astonishing life under a vibrant Sun. The other possessed a beautiful desert, quiet in its solitary vastness beneath a bold Moon. I saw a nose resembling a tremendous and violent mushroom cloud reversing its destructive ways. I saw a broken smile hidden between thick, dark lips and the fear of rejection. Today I looked in the mirror and saw myself.
I went for a walk down by the river. The stream flowed restlessly and crashed alongside the rocks on the bank. I looked in the water and saw a reflection. It was a reflection of the past moving within the present. I saw a desperate boy longing for the chance to fit in, to be normal. This was a young boy who came out of a time in which the worth of things measured the value of people. A boy, dreaming to be one of the heroic, masked, masculine action-figured characters he spent his life idolizing. I saw his confused expression and anguish in comprehending the difference in his black skin. I saw the laughter in the faces of all of the other kids as he began to conform to an identity, a joke. Today I looked in the mirror and saw myself.
I thought to go downtown and grab something to eat. I walked past the coffee shops, and the banks, and the stores and stopped outside the bookstore. I looked in the window and saw a story. It was a story that I dared not judge by its cover. I saw a man, adapting to the rapidly changing and magnificent forces of nature. This is a story of a man learning from themes and motifs of revolution; personal and political. A man embarking on a quest, conquering helplessness and fear by celebrating all that there is to be happy about. I saw his search for potential through incredible images of friendship and cooperation. I saw his acceptance of love and gratitude and his understanding of language as human nature. Today I looked in the mirror and saw myself.
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