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Rate:4.7 / 11 votes

Reflection

Gangasrotogati

Free Verse Promoted

Reflection
He handed her a box

Fighting through the tears she took it

All you'll ever need is in there my daughter

Strength, courage, love, intelligence and all else just look it

As his last breaths escaped him, the box she did open

Empty...Except her reflection in a mirror

All she was, was all she needed to have hope in

About this poem

I want my daughters to always understand that everything they need is already inside them. When they feel scared or overwhelmed, or when they think they aren’t strong enough, they just need to look in the mirror and remember who they are: amazing, strong, intelligent, beautiful, hilarious souls. There aren’t enough characters available here to capture all that they are, but their reflection will remind them with just a glance—as long as I do my job of reminding them every day while I’m here to do so.  

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Written on September 03, 2021

Submitted by j_grover11 on August 02, 2026

20 sec read
1,079

Quick analysis

View full analysis »
SchemeX A B A X B X
Closest metreIambic hexameter
Characters317
Words66
Stanzas7
Stanza lengths1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1
Gangasrotogati

Gangasrotogati

 · 1986 · Massachusetts

A man that has lived longer than the age suggests. more…

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23 Comments
  • BobSev
    BobSev
    It left me smiling and smiling. Both happy and sad, this is a wonderful poem.
    LikeReply 11 day ago
  • chloetry
    chloetry
    Nice write!
    LikeReply 16 days ago
  • Benny11
    Benny11
    "All she was, was all she needed to have hope in"
    Yes, all you require Is inside of you. Nice poem.
    LikeReply 16 days ago
  • RebeccaReed
    RebeccaReed
    Beautiful message for you daughters
    LikeReply 27 days ago
  • zackeryledman
    zackeryledman
    As one who never got to see my mother nor my father before they passed due to circumstances and society built on $;
    I deeply admire the simplicity and depth of raw emotion you portrayed in this last goodbye. 
    LikeReply 29 days ago
  • thomass.28762
    thomass.28762
    A Hershey bar would have been nice
    LikeReply9 days ago
  • thomass.28762
    thomass.28762
    Great Work
    LikeReply 19 days ago
  • naomidhanraj987
    naomidhanraj987
    I look at myself in the mirror and check the box within me. I saw that the box is not empty, but filled with all that you had expected from your daughter, Sir. I really appreciate your thoughts.
    LikeReply 29 days ago
  • ca_rajni_kant_pandey
    ca_rajni_kant_pandey
    Beautiful poem in few words, what parents can give and what children should receive.
    LikeReply 110 days ago
  • CamilleRoseCastillo
    CamilleRoseCastillo
    Such a quietly powerful piece. The empty box initially feels heartbreaking, but the reflection transforms it into something beautiful; she discovers that her father’s greatest gift was helping her recognize what was already inside her. There's nothing in the box, because she is the gift. 
    LikeReply 310 days ago
  • ritabrata_chaudhuri
    ritabrata_chaudhuri
    No gift but glass, no gold but this—
    The face she'd doubted, whole and true.
    He gave her nothing. Gave her all.
    She was the only thing she never knew.
    LikeReply 110 days ago
  • agradek
    agradek
    Wisely, touchingly and beautifully said.
    LikeReply 110 days ago
  • Anthony-7
    Anthony-7
    Beautifully touching piece. Nice work
    LikeReply 210 days ago
  • susan.brumel
    susan.brumel
    This simple, poignant poem is so beautiful in its message.
    LikeReply 11 month ago
  • Xenvi
    Xenvi
    This is absolutely beautiful
    LikeReply 11 month ago
    • j_grover11
      j_grover11
      thank you for the kind words.
      LikeReply1 month ago
  • Jacqualine4780
    Jacqualine4780
    I do not have daughters but I found this to be very touching
    LikeReply 11 month ago
  • brianb.55689
    brianb.55689
    As the father of a daughter, I love this one!
    LikeReply 11 month ago
    • j_grover11
      j_grover11
      daughters are amazing and can teach us so much!
      LikeReply1 month ago
  • ritabrata_chaudhuri
    ritabrata_chaudhuri
    This poem is a deeply moving meditation on love, loss, and self-belief, using a simple narrative to deliver a powerful emotional revelation. The mirror inside the seemingly empty box becomes a memorable symbol of inherited strength and identity, making the father’s final message resonate long after the last line. Its restraint and clarity are what give the ending such profound impact. 
    LikeReply 11 month ago
  • ca_rajni_kant_pandey
    ca_rajni_kant_pandey
    Very nice poem, a soul comes through father and mother gives the soul the body which is always there for whole life as gift of parents.
    LikeReply 11 month ago
  • karlcfolkes
    karlcfolkes
    This gem of a poem reveals to us the true contents, essence, and purpose of the mythological Pandora’s Box as a gift to each person, both male and female, to reflect on himself, on herself, as a unique and special contribution to the world at large. 
    LikeReply 11 month ago
  • karlcfolkes
    karlcfolkes
    This gem of a poem reveals in capsule form the meaning and essence of the mythological gift of Pandora’s Box to humankind.
    LikeReply 11 month ago

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"Poetry.com" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LTD, 2026. Web. 15 Sep. 2026. <https://www.poetry.com/>.

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