Oh to be a leaf
Blowing in the breeze
Going wherever the wind takes me

Oh to be a tree
Standing great and tall
With my head held high

Oh to be a bolt of lightning
Energetic and electrifying
Striking the ground with power

Oh to be a boulder
Big and strong
Never to be broken

Oh to be what I'm not
Because what I am
Isn't good enough

I am afraid of eyes,
Of thoughts and minds.
Afraid the "me" I see in mirrors
Might not be the "me" in others’ minds.

I fear the opinions, the whispered words,
The voices carving shapes of me.
What if their visions linger,
Ghosts of a face I cannot see?

They haunt me,
Questioning my skin, my bones,
The core of my existence.
Am I enough? Or am I shadows,
Fading in the light of others’ brilliance?

I fear I’ll never be content,
Forever chasing reflections—
Comparing my fragile self
To those I deem better,
Forgetting the beauty
That blooms within my imperfections.

Sometimes I forget what I look like,
My face, my eyes, my nose.
I forget that I have a body,
Hidden beneath my baggy clothes.
I exist so peacefully,
When I don’t think about myself.
So I shun my own reflection,
And hang it high up on my shelf.

So don’t you tell me that I’m pretty.
Don’t look me in the eyes.
Nor glance at me too closely,
Or you’ll see past my disguise.
I’d exist ever so peacefully,
If I didn’t have a face.
Wish I could have my mind without this body,
It’s a massive waste of space.