They may say that you aren't pretty enough.
But true beauty is in your heart,
not your face. You don't need to hide
behind that mask of make-up.
You matter.

The number on the scale doesn't matter.
Your dress size doesn't matter.
You matter.

Your voice deserves
to be heard.
Your opinion matters.
You matter.

Don't let anyone say
you aren't good enough.
You matter.

True beauty is not always seen
True beauty needn't be external
True beauty is in our individuality
In you, in me, in all of us.
It is in the glittering eyes.
In a squab learning to fly
We just need to look for it
No matter where it lies
True beauty is in love
True beauty is in forgiving
Even if we do not desire to...
It is in laughter, in smile
It is a hope, in which no reasons pile
True beauty is in clean mind, in pure heart
True beauty is in the singing breeze,
Racing water,
Dancing trees
True beauty can never be perfectly
And completely defined,
It is in you, in me, in all of us,
From dawn to dusk....
-Soumya Goswami

in a room full of peacocks
i am now an ostrich
and i don't know if any of you know how it feels to be a splash of grey in a room full of brilliant blues and greens
it's like being a lonely, pitiful cloud against a blue sky with leafy trim
maybe i have my head in the sand because i don't want to be shallow
but you'd be right if you guessed it's because i actually don't want to be seen when my face looks like this
which is such a cowardly thing to do
(i really shouldn't care)
i read Journey to the Center of the Earth in middle school,
and the only thing i remember is that it was the volcanoes that erupted (like the hives that erupted across my face this past week) that led them to find it-
the heart of life and natural beauty; more breathtaking than the flawless plumage of the peacocks

You are at a safe distance from me
But if I had it my way
We would breathe the same electric air
And there would be no space
between sultry surface
where skin meets skin.
You are at a safe distance from me
And my imagination alone
acts for me.
But if I had it my way
You would be here now
And I would ravage you
with my passion.
For your beauty,
In a world I've long scrutinized,
Is unprecedented.  
Yes, your beauty is  like a shiny sword
I would gladly surrender to..
Because Your kind of beauty,
Though perfectly displayed in your
Greek God- like countenance,  
Is Real and beyond skin deep.
It may be a good thing
you are at a safe distance from me.
For if you were here,
I would devour you whole.

Self-respect, Self-esteem,
A body,
Sparkling red, ruby love for traveling to new and broader sides of the world,
A pair of lips,
A heart that can tremble when sad, and vibrate with joy when she feels my hands in hers,
Some eyes,
A pretty ******* **** interest in books
Legs, arms or what not,
A round, firm belief system that can open up if support presents itself,
Clothes..or not what do I care?,
An untraceable amount of empathy, that is quilted with smaller amounts of self-interest and a hankering for affection that is not masked and hidden by make-up and trendy fashion,
Hair, long or short, or none...,
A sense of pride when she walks and this somewhat cynical view on how the world works, because she believes that the complex life we live in cannot be generalized to the point that government can regulate it,
A tongue, that can swivel and turn just so she can speak, nothing else, speak her mind, speak her thoughts, but she can never speak enough...
Ears, or an ear, or none because I doubt I'll be talking over her,
A never-ending need to be herself, and the knowing that she is beautiful, beautiful enough to be able to "look like she just woke up", beautiful enough to not need me,
But most importantly beautiful enough to be totally invisible...