Rather Not Be Beautiful at All

With my nappy hair and ashy skin

You all stare with disgust and chagrin

But I don’t mind, I think it’s fine

The shocked looks on all your faces

Don’t matter to me you projecting your beauty

Because I’d rather not be beautiful at all.

Who needs to have skin-deep elegance

When I rather have bone-deep intelligence

Rather not have to wear a gallon of make-up on my face

To match the unnatural hair out of place

Rather eat lollipops than lettuce and

Pop pills to puke it all up where nobody can see it

Just to hang onto a bean poll figure

To maintain pop cultures “in-ness”

Rather read Hemingway or Bronte than

Leaf through a magazine envying the plastic people

That plaster pages 2 to 200

Rather not worry about how thick my thighs are

Or how fat my belly is

Does it make you uncomfortable?

Does it make you cringe that

I’d rather not be beautiful at all

Don’t matter to me that my skin is too dark and

My hips are too wide you can

Call me ugly if you like because

I see the lengths you are willing to go to

For an unattainable perfection

I value imperfection so

I’d rather not be beautiful at all.

- OLD