[Joe Crocker]

Hello again Hilary. I think you have my intentions correct. This is how I meant it to be stressed.

I TRY not to LOOK at mySELF in the MIRror
and the FACE I do NOT recogNISE.
The HOPES that I HAD for it LANguish and WITHer.
I TRY not to LOOK at mySELF in the MIRror
And THAT is my VANity. CRACKS wanting FILLer
-- I would RATHer igNORE than surPRISE.
I TRY not to LOOK at mySELF in the MIRror
or that FACE. I can NOT meet its EYES.

But you may be right that it is too ambiguous metrically. Or I'm asking the reader to crash the gears of accepted pronunciation. esp in "recognISED" and "canNOT". I have split the latter into two words now to make my preferred stress a little easier to adopt (I hope).