Posted: Jan 10, 2008, 1:05 AM CST
(Just a poem I wrote. Thought it might help a few ladies feel a little bit prettier on a bad hair day.)
:)
When I think of beauty,
I think of…
I think of a girl with broken fingernails and dirty knees because she knew how to play instead of pose.
I think of a young lady with calluses on her hands, because she learned the value of hard work at a young age.
I think of stretch lines and drooping breasts from a woman who chose to give life, and sustain it.
When I think of beauty, I think of those who play for fun, work for food and love for free.
When I think of beauty,
I think of Mothers.
I think of me.
When I think of beauty,
I think of…
Gray hairs that glisten the reflection of experience.
I think of wrinkles that preach understanding.
I think of thinned skin, arthritic knuckles and varicose veins.
When I think of beauty,
I think of my elders.
And what I might be.
When I think of beauty,
I think of…
Ears that listen without interruption,
eyes that make contact,
lips that whisper reassurance.
I think of dark rings under eyes from sleepless nights, tending to sick children, and ill parents, and restless husbands, and injured pets.
When I think of beauty,
I think of compassion, and nurturance, and self-sacrifice.
I think of women who actually listen, instead of just waiting their turn to speak.
When I think of beauty,
I don’t think of tans, or of figures, or glamour, or shaved legs, or earrings.
I don’t think of bikinis or lingerie, or small waists, or pink toenails.
When I think of beauty, I think of bald women,
who lost all their hair,
to chemotherapy,
and kept on smiling.
I think of survivors.
When I think of beauty,
I don’t think of models, or celebrities, or fashion scenes, or pop stars.
I think of homeless girls that finally ask for help.
I think of adolescents that say no to peer pressure.
I think of single moms, that play diverse roles.
I think of housewives, that are called worthless for not working.
I think of grandmothers, that are left alone in nursing homes.
I think of uneducated women, who simply do the best they know how.
I think of average women everywhere that are overlooked as undesirable.
When I think of beauty,
I redefine the word.
Because the beauty I see,
doesn’t fit on a magazine or TV.
The beauty I see,
Fits in the hearts,
of women like you,
and women like me.