Beauty Reclaimed Poem

I want a lived-in face— a body that curves and stretches, each line a crease carved by laughter, grief, survival. I love life etched into skin. We are the narrators of our days, our bodies the pages, our faces the margins, annotated by time. We are art— life’s sculptures— one arm or two, too thin, too wide. What old lies we’ve swallowed about beauty’s mould. Perfection? That polished cage— stitched with labels. I wore the names— Chanel, Louis Vuitton— as if they could spell beauty on a tag around my wrist. I spent myself chasing flawless, burning joy like cash, saving nothing for self-love. I was lost chasing the dream— of thigh gaps sold as grace, quiet hunger wrapped in silk, airbrushed lies reflected back in mirror-glass approval. And in all that gloss, I missed the glow of my own skin, weathered, soft, and holy in its truth. They told me I was richest when untouched, when time hadn’t left its mark— but youth is cheap. Real beauty accrues. Each scar, each stretch, a kind of interest paid in grace. I long for truth. Gray hair, wrinkled hands, a tooth gone missing like a childhood friend. My curves have curves, but my heart is open, always has been. My mouth will sing even if a note is off. Even if pieces are missing— it matters not. Confidence? Still a struggle. But intelligence… oh, that disarms me every time. A woman or man who can think— who listens with their eyes, and speaks with care— now that’s divine. Beauty or the beast— it matters not at all. Each one a masterpiece, every rise and fall.