The narrator begins this poem by lamenting the cold weather. He wonders if his mother notices his eyes. He says that he has always loved writing and that he could be the great poet of the future. The title of his poem is "before the mirror" , which means that every night before the mirror, "million souls face / Waves against the never ending tides" . The narrator says that in his darkest moments, "I hear faceless time is burning / / / Until you call out / Broken, / parched / i feel nothing / * your voice." He adds that the writing keeps him sane. He goes on to say that he is going to see a movie with Carrie, and he wonders if the girl in the lit who fell to her face in the story is the same girl who is talking to Adrian. He thinks that she is probably talking to him out of pity. He concludes that neighbors have seen someone rummaging through Ken's house.