June ’25 Prompt Submissions: Shadow Self
describe your shadow self.
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Penumbra of Me
Stuck in the middle of never satisfied and never disappointed. What a contradiction. I’ll figure it out. I just gotta keep telling myself that.
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Subject: meeting her
Message: she is gorgeous. she’s captivating in a unique way, her nose small, her face round, her dark hair cascading.
she speaks in a funny way, her sentences interjected with little jokes that she chuckles at. I can see how hard she works to entertain everyone, to make them feel at ease. it works.
she goes home and stares at her body in the mirror. she worries about her clothes, her face, her hair. she wonders what people think of her, if it matches what she sees in the mirror, in her favorite photos, or if it looks like what she sees in the windows of empty stores that she passes by.
she is always on a quest to know how others see her. she seeks the thrill of being perceived, of being reminded, ‘I am real! I take up space! I make a difference!’
once in a while, she sees herself. the body that she occupies. its dark hair, soft curves, and dark circles. it has been her constant companion. there she is, in the mirror. she’s always been there.