“Your hair knots and crinkles too much”
“Your eyes rage with too much ambition”
“Your skin bears too much resemblance to a dirty copper coin”
“Your blemishes overpower any beauty you could possess”
But what beautiful thing is truly perfect?
No graceful flower standing amongst the weeds is completely symmetrical
Each majestic, steadfast tree carries uneven branches that carry imperfectly shaped leaves
All sunsets, with their harmonious blending of vivid tangerines and goldenrods, are marred by
uneven and cloudy skylines
How can you measure yourself against skewed standards?
Why would you shelter your uniquely twisting tresses,
Your unbridled drive to succeed,
Your radiant, pigmented skin
Like they’re blemishes to be erased?
I propose a new standard:
Beauty lies in the beholder,
So behold yourself like a one of a kind painting
Maybe not as a Manet, ordinary, traditional
But as a Picasso, with your blemishes adding dimension to your allure,
Eccentric and wild and gorgeous and completely beautiful.
Rudi Randall is a student at Hagerstown Community College.