Looming mirror -
A freckled face appears.
My freckled nose scrunches in disgust.

They used to be bright, vibrant, and lively,
Twinkling stars above my youthful grin.
A sparse sprinkling decorated my nose and cheeks
With laughter, love, and mirth.

The sun beamed down upon me,
Smiling as I played in waves along the beach shore.
I joyfully chased after seagulls,
And dreams seemed also to be just within reach.

Over the years,
More spots furiously formed.
Multiplying into
Hundreds, thousands, millions, billions,
(I’ve lost count).

They never stopped coming,
Materializing out of nowhere and with no end in sight.
Symbolizing the multitude of
Obligations, Responsibilities, Commitments, Duties, Promises, Assignments,
That had also intruded upon my life.

The clock glared down at me,
Informing me of the limited time to finish the test.
I scribbled down questionable answers,
And then, on my arm –
An equally dubious spot seemed to magically appear.

Weightless and miniscule,
But a burden nonetheless.
Blurring and blending together into unidentifiable shapes,
Those dreaded dots
Clouded my face
With confusion.

The foreign spots are not so unfamiliar anymore,
Claiming my nose, my arms, my legs,
Making themselves at home.
So, I’ve come to terms with their eternal residence.

Now the dots have grown fainter,
From pain and sweat and tears.
All that remain are shadows of sunny summers––,
Lingering faded memories.

A sigh escapes from my chest before I can contain it.
The reflection disappears -
I turn my back on
Freckles.