Me, Myself, and I | a woman

Me, Myself, and I

MinJu Kim

---

a woman

Samantha Bohn

we were so excited 
             when the Dior exhibit came to town. 
slipped into the 4pm show 
engulfing ourselves in history and art 
                          fashion, fabric, and fabrication 
there were perhaps a thousand dresses. 
             each with its own backstory 
                          so human.

             memory is fickle. 
                          all the dresses escape me now, 
but one moment remains crystal clear. 
we turned a corner in the exhibit 
             making our way down a long hallway 
another group approached us from the opposite direction, 
             two figures leading the way 
                          one was a woman. 
                          tall with a slow purposeful walk 
                          clothes, though plain, fit her well 
             amidst the height of fashion, this beauty was 
                                                                 oddly striking 

it was not until noticing 
her companion wore the same clothes as my friend 
                          that i understood i was looking into a mirror. 
             reality split, sudden and jarring 
                          she was me. 
i've never spoken of the terror i felt in that moment 
             my distress at seeing myself as i am 
false self-concept unwittingly confronted 
by the truth that i am whole. 

                                                                 when the Dior exhibit came to town, 
                                                    there were perhaps a thousand dresses. 
                                                                              so human. 
                                                                 memory is fickle, 
                                                    but one moment remains crystal clear— 
                                                                                           a woman. 
                                                                 i was looking into a mirror.
                                                                 she was me. 
                                                                              i am whole.