TINY TALES

Mirror – In Other Words

88 Comments

iScriblr_mirror

She looks into the mirror and says to herself "How can people see me like this?", 
broken, dispirited, 
all that she notices is ugly-unattractiveness and grisly-disfigurement. 
 
The rough lines, blistered edges, scarred creases, uneven contours, 
they all remind her of the past glory days 
when she was credited to be the "prettiest of them all!"

With sunrise-gold hair, saccharine sweet lips, 
velvety eyelashes and constellation-blue eyes, 
Rose was once an apotheosis of artless beauty, 
with many suitors and admirers yearning for her love and company.

Reminiscing the days gone by, unhinging the horrors of suffering 
and the agony of 20 reconstructive surgeries, 
she picks up her handbag and kisses her mom goodbye, 
as she steps out of the house for the first time in 5 years!

By the dresser rests the latest newspaper with a headline that reads
"25 Year Old Acid-Attack Victim Decides To Follow Her Dreams, Returns To School!"

This post is in response to In Other Words by Patricia’s Place – where write a story or poem of 5 lines or less using the prompt word.

This weeks prompt is “mirror” and this story of mine is an attempt to draw our attention to the “victims” of acid-attacks and the pain and agony that they suffer. With no fault of theirs, they are forced to lead a life (only if they survive) full of humiliation, misery and deformity, extensive medical life-long effects, with no aid, assistance or support. The saddest part being that there is no age or gender limitation when it comes to these attacks! I hereby urge everyone to do your bit and raise awareness, provide compassion and help with the rehabilitation of these “survivors” – coz this is what a good “human” should do! We are all that they have now, don’t turn your backs on them!

Follow this link to learn more about the prompts, see other submissions, and to share your own. Come and join in the fun folks!

Love,iScriblr_signature

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88 Comments

  1. A story of courage. I worked with a woman who was in a horrific accident that left her badly scarred. Her strength and perseverance was inspiring. Not sure I would be as brave as the woman in your story or the woman I knew. Thanks for linking.

    Reply

    1. I agree, the dedication and strength show by the survivors is indeed inspiring!😊

      Thank you so much for stopping by, appreciate it a lot!❤️

      Reply

  2. Well written and I loved the beautiful message you have conveyed.Acid attack has been a heinous crime in our society. One of the first poems to be published was on Acid Attack.

    Reply

    1. I agree! It’s a sorry state of affairs!🙄

      Oh really!! That’s nice! Would love to read it! Share the link if you can sweetie!❤️

      Reply

  5. Difficult to find words powerful enough to describe our emotions about the horrible pain that the victims experience and endure on a daily basis. Patricia is right, their strength and perseverance are inspiring. Beautifully written Richa.

    Reply

    1. Glad this post resonated with you! I agree, their strength is unmatched for!

      Thank you so much for reading, appreciate it!❤️

      Reply

  9. This woman is still beautiful because she decides to overcome the power of her addiction and go after her dreams. Beauty should be reflected from the inside out, not the outside in. Thank you so much for this share, so many rich lessons in this post. You’re so right, addiction is a disease, many times triggered or paired with a mental illness and they need help and support from their families, friends, and society to make positive change happen.

    Reply

    1. I agree to your thoughts 100%! Their strength and determination is remarkable!

      Thank you so much for reading, appreciate it!❤️

      Reply

  23. Strikes right to the heart this story and such a powerful story to come from the word ‘mirror’. You took the word and looked ‘out’ of the mirror not ‘into’ the mirror.

    Reply

  24. This writing about “the other facet” of the word mirror, where a mirror can be a source of the deepest discomfort and pain, is really good and (although in a sad way) original.
    Very touching…

    Reply

  25. I cannot understand the sickness in some people to do something so horrible to another person…. I don’t even have any words…

    Reply

  26. I didn’t realize that there were so many acid attacks. That is very sad.

    I enjoyed the story. People think folks are brave who are unafraid. That’s not true.The brave ones are the ones who are scared breathless and do it anyways.

    Reply

    1. I am glad this post resonated with you.. Thank you so much for reading!❤️

      What you said reminded me of a quote that I’d read sometime back –

      “There are so many ways to be brave in this world. Sometimes bravery involves laying down your life for something bigger than yourself, or for someone else. Sometimes it involves giving up everything you have ever known, or everyone you have ever loved, for the sake of something greater.

      But sometimes it doesn’t.

      Sometimes it is nothing more than gritting your teeth through pain, and the work of every day, the slow walk toward a better life.

      That is the sort of bravery I must have now.”
      ― Veronica Roth, Allegiant

      Reply

  27. I am a little behind, but I just had to tell you how incredibly powerful and emotional this was! Being as powerful as this was just shows how deep your emotions! It truly breaks my heart to know there is SO much evil out there in the world and how some people bounce back so well from the hard times life might bring onto them!

    Reply

  30. The people who do such things as this to other people should be required to have the same done to them, plus have their sexual members cut off, for they are not a man who does such things and they should never ever be mistaken for one!

    Reply

  31. There is such a flawless, powerful and beautiful message in this post.❤️

    The reality of acid victims is a very sad one, I wonder, why must such evil exist… why would anyone want to harm others in such a vile way.

    Reply

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