they ask me nothing of myself,
nothing of my mind,
nothing of my values,
nothing of my morals,
but speaking of themselves is easy,

my appearance may be part of who I am, but it does not define me

If i
with my
strength,
my valour,
my quiet,
my flaws
and my imperfections
do not look
beautiful to you,
will i with
my well streaked eyeliner,
rose lips
and silk hair?
No, my dear!
That is anything
but Beauty.

You look at a person
A stranger, a loved one, a partner
And you think;
How can one person be so beautiful?
Inside and out you see an aura of unimaginable beauty
A friendly face
An intoxicating laugh
A smile that makes you smile without even realizing it

And then you look at yourself
You hate the way you smile, all crooked and mouthy
The way your cheeks are too pudgy
Your glasses too big for your face
Your voice too soft to break through the chatter of others

But you
You are a lion whose voice is booming thunder
With claws that can tear through the veil
The one you’ve kept yourself shrouded in for too long
You should be proud
Proud of your wild and unruly mane
Proud of your scars earned from battles with many others
Not to mention the battles you wage on yourself
You could move mountains and uproot trees if you tried

But you don’t
You look at yourself
Your cheeks too pudgy
Glasses too big
Voice kept under lock and key
Vocal chords dusty with disuse
Your heart is so big and so beautiful
You see so much in everyone else
But can’t bear to see anything in yourself

You are a wild flower sprouting through the cracks in the sidewalk
You could move mountains and uproot trees if you tried

Never say or think
you're not pretty.
If you're feeling lost
in darkness,
be your own light
and find your way.

Deep in your soul
there is beauty.
Embrace your scars
and imperfections,
Turn them into strength
come what may.

Take pride in your
attitude and dignity.
Love yourself sincerely
without conditions,
You're already beautiful
every single day.