Home
Young Writers Project
  • READ
    • Recent Posts
    • Daily Read
    • Recent Visual Art
  • YWP COMMUNITY
    • Tiny Writes
    • Book Club
    • YWP Podcast
    • Community Leaders
      • Community Leaders' Newsletter
    • Oh Snap! Online Open Mic
  • CHALLENGES
    • Weekly Challenges 2020-21
    • Community Journalism
      • Community Journalism Project
    • Challenges Bank
    • The Great Poets Challenge
  • EVENTS
    • ALL YWP EVENTS
    • March 27: Online Open Mic
    • March 4: Clowning Conundrums
    • March 14: Poetry for Middle School
    • YWP Calendar
  • PUBLICATIONS
    • The Voice
    • Anthology 11
      • Anthology 11 Podcast
    • Media Partners
    • The Social Distancing Journal
    • The ELM - Edmunds Literary Magazine
  • ABOUT
    • About YWP
    • YWP Newsletter
    • YWP is ...
    • Permission Form
    • FY19 ANNUAL REPORT & 990
    • Contact Us
  • Donate
  • LOG IN/JOIN

Search form

Previous Post
Next Post
Mar 29
poem 5 comments
SilverGoose

Me, But Pretty

It hurt when I looked at that picture
I both loved and hated it.
It was me, but different.
It was me, without the acne or freckles.
It was me, but pretty.
I was hurt that you'd done it,
even though I was grateful.
You'd checked the box on the school
picture form that said to remove blemishes.

You did this without asking what I wanted.
You did this because you knew I was insecure
and you just wanted to help me feel beautiful,
but it made me feel as though 
I wasn't good enough in your eyes,
it made me feel ugly.

I loved her smooth, pretty face,
I loved that I could pretend she was me,
I loved that perfect version of me,
because maybe one day,
I could be pretty like her

But I also I hated that girl, the one in the picture,
who looked so much like me, just a prettier version,
I hated her because I wasn't her.
I wanted to be her.
I wanted to be pretty.
  • SilverGoose's blog
  • Sprout
  • Log in or register to post comments
  • Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Posted: 03.29.17
About the Author: SilverGoose
MSG / CONTACT
RECENT LOVES
  • Out n About
  • Good Night
  • City
  • join
  • a thought
RECENT COMMENTS
  • The way you spaced this gives
  • This reminds me of something
  • The first stanza was
  • I love musicals so I can
  • I really enjoy this piece. I

Other Posts by Author

  • Braille
    I was going through books ofthe history of the United States  Read more
    in poem 0 Comments
  • Ski Buddy
    I joined alpine my freshman year of high school terrified. Read more
    in poem 0 Comments
  • Color
    When I was in preschoolmy favorite color was purplebecause I loved the way Read more
    in poem 0 Comments

Discussion

Comments

  1. Lundie
    Mar 29, 2017

    WoW! This is very powerful. I hope that you have come to see beauty, even in your blemishes and freckles. Loving yourself and others is the best way to emanate beauty.

    Christine Lundie
    Big Picture South Burlington

    • Log in or register to post comments
  1. gg
    Mar 29, 2017

    SilverGoose,

    We at YWP were moved by this piece. I particularly liked the ambiguity of "you." It is a powerful statement, I think, to recognize that you are appreciative of who you are and reject an idealized, and untrue, version of your self.

    Thanks for sharing this and getting this prompt going. The prompt has been created by YWP's High School intern.

    gg

    YWP founder. Current work: Instagram, Mastodon and https://geoffreygevalt.com
    • Log in or register to post comments
  1. Dunkin Girl
    Mar 29, 2017

    I think this has such beautiful content. Such a powerful piece and something that anyone could relate to. Thank you for sharing this :)

    • Log in or register to post comments
  1. Drift
    Mar 29, 2017

    My sister had a similar issue with her school picture her junior year, her freckles were removed because the box for blemish removal was ticked without her knowing, and she had a similar reaction. This is so important to address, and thank you for doing that.

    • Log in or register to post comments
  1. Icarus Blackmore
    Mar 30, 2017

    I love this piece! Just the idea of something so close and yet so far out of reach. It's interesting to hear you write about this praticular sensation. The sensation of wanting to be perfect, but liking our imperfections. I really hope that you continue to see the perfection of imperfection.

    • Log in or register to post comments
  • ABOUT
  • DONATE
  • THE VOICE
  • YWP NEWSLETTER
​Young Writers Project | 47 Maple St., Suite 216 | Burlington, VT 05401
Contact: [email protected] | (802) 324-9538 
 
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • Instagram icon
  • E-Mail icon