Mona Lisa

By Gabriela Magaña

I wonder if you hear what I’m saying.
Do you see me smile?
Do you see me suffer?
Or do you see me conceal?

As you approach me,
what do you see in me first?
Do you notice my lack of adornments,
or my overly humble soul?

Do you notice the heart on my chest,
or the secrets I’ll never tell.
In the center of my all,
or my mystic surroundings?

Can you imagine the stories
every inch of me could tell?
Stories we have experienced,
you and me, both.

I reach to your heart
because I’m not alone,
I’m within you,
as much as you are within me.

I am the woman in the wall
under layers of paint,
inside the mirror
and next to you.