Perfection In Their Eyes

In your eyes,
I may not
Be beautiful,
Or be at the
Perfect weight,
Or have
Perfect hair.

I many not have the
Socially acceptable
Friends,
Or wear the right
Brand of clothes,
Or the "right" way of
Speaking that you
And your friends have.

In your eyes,
My skin may
Be flawed,
Or my personality
Isn't just right,
Or I don't
Act the right way.

I've made many mistakes;
I've lied;
I've cheated;
I've felt regret;
I've said something I
Shouldn't of; I've not
Said something that I should of.

But did you ever
Once stop to think about
What exactly perfect
Was to you,
Or what it was to
Just about
Everyone else?

What is perfection
In Today's society?
Is it being able to see
Our bones?
Is it about driving the
Flashiest cars?
Is it all about money?

How am I not as
Beautiful as that girl
In 'Cosmo' or 'Vogue'?
How am I not
Perfect in every way?
Why are they perfect
And I'm not?

Yes, I am a little
Overweight.
Yes, I have a few
Blemishes on my skin.
Yes, I have different
Hair than most.
Yes, I am different.

Is difference not
Embraced the way we
Claim it to be?
If we can't accept
The gay man,
How can we accept
The girl in the wheelchair?

We call ourselves the
Nation with "freedom of speech,"
Yet some of our men and women
Are afraid to admit
To being of a different
Sexual orientation than
Most of the population.

To you, I may
Be ugly;
Fat;
Unintelligent;
Not well-dressed;
Unimpressive in
Every way.

But I am beautiful
In every sense of the word;
My body is perfect
Just the way it is;
I am intelligent in ways
Only I can understand fully
Without being put under a microscope.

Next time you look at me,
Or that "imperfect" girl or guy,
Just remember that what you
Say today, is what we'll hear tomorrow.
And what you whispered last week,
Is what we'll hear the next morning.
Words don't hurt; they kill.

That mean thing that
You said a year ago,
That's what I remember
Today as clearly as
That day;
I don't remember the compliments;
It's the insults that stick.

You don't need make up,
Or nice clothes,
Or even constant
Compliments to be
Beautiful, or "perfect."
Once you truly believe it
Yourself, you are.

You are beautiful;
You are perfect;
You are everything
That you are supposed to be.
Don't let their ideas of
What "perfection" is
Ruin yours.