Beholder
Beholder
Nothing is beautiful in this world
It’s written in the tabloids
Cut into our skin
Rubbed into our wounds
So that no matter what, a mirror
Will always be whole shrapnel
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
It curses sight with blindness
And happiness with darkness
There is no fairytale ending
Because we are malformed and ugly
And covering ourselves with lies
There is no real beauty
It is a mask we wear
Something slim
And young
Smooth
Clear
Nobody wants to see our grinning skulls
Our open ribcages or bleeding limbs
This conspiracy shielding us from criticism
From living life and being ourselves
Underneath our layers of layers of layers
So we feel like we belong in this world
The here and the now is a painful reality
Because no matter what
We cannot please everybody
We cannot appeal to every taste and
Appearance so there will always
Always be someone to hate our being
Our perceived sense of beauty is
Nothing but a stereotype
It’s the way we should look
And the way we should act
But not who we are
Or what we do.
The world does not call
Our ragged eyes and crow’s feet
Beautiful nor our lined foreheads
Or heavy cheeks full of laughter
Or the broken smiles we open,
A thing to praise
Our thick bodies bow in shame
Tears ripped out
From our quivering resolve
And blasted by social media,
Our imperfections emblazoned on
Scarlet clothing as a reminder
There is no glory
For the calluses placed on our hands
The scars liberating our wrists
The wrinkles from our years
The hair protecting
The skin taut
It is our covering that keeps
Our insides from being exploited
And shown to the world
It is safe within
But so very dark
And hidden from critics
Because it is better to lie
And be accepted than
Admit our beauty is more
Than the advertisements
Preach
Because it is easier
To pretend that we are okay
And follow the beautiful ones
Because we need a Sheppard
Always have
So we keep to the masses
And pretend we are beautiful
Lost are the individuals,
Assimilating to what is necessary
Gone are the personal quirks
And wonderful traits
That make you
You.
Because we are all beautiful
Not by standards set by
Fashion models or heavy editing
Not by the magazines or celebrities
It is deeper
And it is real
The twinkle in our eyes
The gleam of our smiles
The sincerity of all our actions
Is more beautiful
Than any thigh gap
Or size Zero waistline
Our beauty is profound
Because it will not age with time
It will not sag in defeat
It will not bend to other’s wills
Justly named, our
Beauty is on the inside
Love
Compassion
Spirit
Kindness
Strength
Ingenuity
Our beauty is measured
In all the ways that matter
The ways that aren’t accounted for;
We are beautiful
In our differences
And that isn’t wrong
There is nothing wrong with
Not fitting in a dress
Or wearing unusual things
There is nothing wrong
With loving yourself
Or being happy
This is my beautiful.
I may not look the part
Or have the walk
Sound like angels
Or feel this truth,
But I am beautiful