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Working: Vol. 4, No. 2 - Issue 14 Summer 2025

Looking Glass

Issue 7
I’m going in deep again
Far inside myself again
The harder the realization
The more I retreat the self-armada
So I’ve been calculating a plan
Experimenting with how I show up
I’m polishing the magnifying glass
Amplifying my shadow self
A deep hard look inside a darkness
We all sort of contain
And we hide the shameful parts
But they belong to us, too
I sit with me and despise the shadow
But she is me is her

KARINA OLIVER
​was born in Mexicali, Mexico and raised in the border town of Calexico, CA. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree from a little known school called National University where she studied English with a focus on creative writing. A U.S. Navy veteran, she is currently a stay at home mom, housewife and pontificator of life. Karina constantly writes about small moments in time and injects existentialism in all her work.

Copyright © 2025 Empyrean Literary Magazine, L.L.C.
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