In the Mirror of Mankind

[verse 1 – morning, small irritation] I woke up late to a buzzing phone, Really only wanting to be left alone, Someone's up, talking too loud outside, Like the world owed them despite the time. I shook my head, and barked out, “What’s the deal, Why is everyone so loud, for real?” Like quiet was somehow a thing I owned, Or patience even was my native home. [pre-chorus] But there it was, just passing by— A flicker I almost let slide… [chorus – soft, reflective] In the mirror of mankind, Every fault I underline Draws an arrow that points back to me— At something I don’t want to see. I can turn, or I can stay, Blame the glass or face the frame, But every face that tests my mind Looks back at me through my eyes— From the mirror of mankind. --- [verse 2 – public setting] Standing in a checkout line, Someone cuts ahead and pays no mind, I feel the pressure rise—sharp and quick, Prepared to roast the little prick. “Some people never learn,” I thought, Like I’ve never rushed to fit or cut, Like I’ve never bent the rules a bit When it came to what I sought. [pre-chorus] And there it was again, that elusive trace— A shape of something that I couldn’t quite place… [chorus] In the mirror of mankind, Every fault I underline Draws an arrow that points back to me— At something I don’t want to see. I can turn, or I can stay, Blame the glass or face the frame, But every face that tests my mind Looks back at me through my eyes— From the mirror of mankind. --- [verse 3 – deeper realization] A friend was talking, going long, Didn’t notice he was wrong, Didn’t hear the place go still, Didn’t seem to read the room I felt that edge, that subtle strain, That “I would never be that way,” Then caught myself mid-thought and smiled— 'Cause I’ve been that voice more times than I’d… [pre-chorus] Care to ever count or name— Guess deep inside I’m just the same… --- [bridge – meditative, stripped] Maybe it’s not them I’m seeing, And it’s just a borrowed view, Every flaw that hits too sharply Finds a place in me that rings too true. Not a curse, but information, Not a fault, but a way to show— With every irritation pointing back to me At a place I still have room to grow. --- [final chorus – fuller, accepting] In the mirror of mankind, Every edge I criticize Carries something back to me— Something begging to be seen. So I’ll slow down, take the view, Let the message carry through, 'Cause every face that tests my mind Is just a mirror I might find. [outro – quiet, grounded] To me… To you… To all of us. And it somehow helps to know that we're in it together.