Book excerpt: Do you know the value of a human life? Do you know the value of YOUR human life? Do you desperately try to make yourself disappear - to fit in to the point you no longer recognize yourself? You've endured a lot. Your struggles do not define you, though they did help create you. You are confident but unsure, too. You are bright and full of ideas but sometimes life gets the best of you. You want to be a better version of yourself. You want to understand why those things happened. You long to make sense of it all. You want to be an uplifting force for your family and friends. You get overwhelmed sometimes in this noisy, fast-paced society. You are kind but you are not weak. You want others to know that you are more than what you've been through. You just want to feel known - most of all by yourself. Dear Mirror is dedicated to anyone seeking the courage to rediscover who they are. Broken into four parts: Convex, Refraction, Concave, and Reflection, this collection of poetry and prose explores some of life's most difficult challenges - mental health issues, relationship struggles, and societal standards. Dear Mirror is a book of empowerment poetry that will guide the reader to the true power that comes with hope, perseverance, and owning one's true identity by embracing genuine self-acceptance and self-love.