Imperfections
are noticeable first

Beauty isn’t a requirement
it was a temporary perk

one now discounted
as looks invade
fragility
everything
is magnified
here

I have
always struggled with my body
even then I saw myself
bigger than I was
breast and feet size
made me stuff and shrink

the way my bone stuck out in the center of my chest
made me want to cover up

my mother learned this
of me

I can barely see
without glasses
even blind imperfections
remain magnified

she wanted me to believe something else

There is always a gold lining
in disappointment
in body
in personal journeys

Getting right
isn’t the end of my ambition
parts have to accept these emotions
in order to live
to thrive

I learned to avoid mirrors
take scarce selfies
and work more on my inside

Outside is only surface

the light from within
is what lives on