That One in the Mirror

A Journey Through Dancing the Dream

“A Journey Through Dancing the Dream” is a soft walk into Michael’s poetic world,

a quiet space where I read his poems slowly, tenderly, one breath at a time.

Here, I explore the images, emotions, and truths he left woven between his lines,

trying to listen with the same open heart he wrote from.

There are mornings when the soul whispers softly,

and if we are quiet enough, we can hear it.

This poem opened up that kind of morning for me,

a gentle passage into Michael’s inner world,

a place filled with tenderness, honesty,

and a love so wide it seems to hold the earth inside its heart.

Here begins my journey through Dancing the Dream,

and today, this journey begins with “That One in the Mirror”…

A Whisper in the Mirror

“I wanted to change the world, so I got up one morning and looked in the mirror.”

Michael begins with a longing that feels universal,

that innocent desire to heal what hurts,

to bring comfort where there is pain.

But instead of rushing outward, he looks inward.

The first step of change is the courage to face ourselves.

To ask: “Who am I in all of this?”

“There is not much time left… Do something!”

The mirror speaks with urgency.

It shows the world’s wounds without filters:

the starving children, the divided nations,

the oceans wounded, the air gasping for breath.

It is a cry for action,

a plea from a reflection that only sees the world’s despair.

Michael feels this anguish deeply.

It becomes his own.

“Everything looked like a mess, a tragedy, a disaster.”

The reflection burns with anger,

and Michael mirrors that feeling.

Because great sensitivity does that,

it absorbs the pain of the planet

as if it were a heartbeat trembling inside the chest.

The hope… and the fall

“There is so much good will here…”

Here, light returns.

Michael meets people with hearts full of hope,

souls who want to help.

He sees their goodness, their sincerity.

And the mirror, for a moment, believes:

“Now we’ll get somewhere, if everybody does their part.”

But the world doesn’t always move as quickly as our dreams.

“Maybe it’s hopeless,” he whispered. “But you and I will survive.”

A quiet sadness enters.

The mirror becomes selfish, detached,

a voice of resignation rather than compassion.

A voice that separates the “me” from the “them.”

And something inside Michael knows this is wrong.

The revelation: the world is not outside

“What if that one in the mirror isn’t me?”

This is the awakening.

The moment the veil lifts.

Michael realizes that the cold reflection,

the one who sees the world’s pain as distant,

is not his true self.

Because the suffering of the world

does not happen “out there” for him.

He feels it inside,

as if each wound belonged to his own heart.

A crying child in Ethiopia,

a sea gull drowning in oil,

a hunted gorilla,

a terrified young soldier…

These images are not statistics to him.

They are sensations,

echoes that tremble in his chest.

Michael carries the world within him,

its sorrow and its tenderness.

The illusion dissolves

“That one looking back had started to fade.”

The mirror-self begins to disappear.

Because it was only an image,

a shell, a boundary,

a false separation.

Michael discovers a deeper truth:

“I am not so separate and afraid.”

Life itself becomes healer.

Love becomes the medicine.

And the world becomes a home

where nothing is outside of him.

The tender conversation with the self

“Oh, friend… do you think anything can solve problems without love?”

This is my favourite moment of the poem,

when Michael speaks to his reflection

like a gentle friend,

not an enemy.

We could be more peaceful, 

more loving,

more honest with each other, 

He invites honesty.

He invites love.

He invites closeness.

He asks the mirror-self to soften,

to trust,

to walk beside him.

And then, the invitation that feels like a heartbeat:

“I hear a dance starting up. Come.”

It is Michael’s way of saying:

“Let us move together. Let us be one again.”

Healing begins in unity.

Love as the path of change

“Would that change the world? I think it will.”

A shy hope.

A humble faith.

But a faith strong enough to move mountains.

“Mother Earth wants us to be happy…”

Michael turns the planet into a mother,

warm, loving,

wanting our joy as much as we want her healing.

She doesn’t need warriors of fear,

but children of courage,

courage that comes from connection.

“When that one in the mirror is full of love… there is no room for fear.”

Fear dissolves in love’s embrace.

And disconnected hearts become whole again.

The world inside the heart

“I never feel alone when I am earth’s child.”

Here, Michael reaches a place of spiritual clarity.

He belongs.

He is held.

He is part of everything that lives.

“All of life is in me.”

The children with their pain.

The ocean swelling with joy.

The animals trembling in fear,

and the animals leaping in celebration.

Everything alive beats within him.

Within us.

This is his prayer.

His truth.

His way of seeing the world.

The ending: a morning promise

“Every morning I touch the mirror and whisper, ‘Oh, friend… I hear a dance. Will you be my partner?’”

The poem closes with tenderness.

Each day begins with a gesture of love,

a reconciliation,

a reunion

between the self and the self.

A promise to walk with honesty,

to be gentle with the parts that are afraid,

to choose love again and again.

And in that quiet choice,

the world begins to heal…

As I finished reading this poem,

I felt as if Michael had taken my hand

and whispered the same question he asks his reflection:

“Will you dance with me?”

And I think that’s the heart of this piece.

A dance, not with perfection, not with certainty,

but with honesty, tenderness, and love.

A dance with the world inside us.

A dance with life.

A dance with him.

Writing this analysis reminded me that the true change begins in the quiet places,

in the way we speak to ourselves,

in the way we choose love over fear.

Thank you for walking with me through these lines.

This is only the beginning of A Journey Through Dancing the Dream,

and I’m excited to keep exploring his poems,

one heartbeat at a time. 

With all my heart,

Daniela 🌻

A special thank you to my dear Ilaria, whose impeccable Italian translation carries so much love, care, and devotion.

Thank you for your unconditional support and friendship, it means more than words can hold.

To the wonderful soul behind the Instagram account @mjj.edit58, thank you for these breathtaking images, for their beauty and quality, and for being a friend whose presence feels like fresh air.

Follow him for more high-quality and inspiring content.

And to you, dear reader…

thank you for taking the time to be here, for walking this path with me, and for the love you bring into this little corner of the world.