Dear Perfection

Dear perfection,

You found me as an innocent child

I gazed in the hot pink mirror with daisies and sunflowers

My hair in tight pigtails that pulled at my scalp

My chubby cheeks that were always called cute

I didn’t like what stared back

As I grew, so did you

Kids threw names out of their mouths

Not caring what the effects would be to a small girl

Nasty comments filled every crevice of my brain managing to control my thoughts

Where there should have been happiness and daylight, there was a great void of darkness

The fire in me started to dwindle to a scarce ember

The light from my eyes was fading like a scar finally starting to heal

I didn’t like what stared back

Brains over beauty they say

But what if none apply

Failed expectations

Failed tasks

Who knew red marks and a letter in an upper corner could determine a state of mind

I could not reach you, no matter how much I tried

I noticed the dying of a dream in myself

I noticed the all the grades that defined me

I didn’t like what stared back

A new mindset

A new attitude

Fuel has been added to the fire that once struggled to thrive

The sun is starting to come out in the deepest and darkest parts

The eyes that only saw the imperfections now see effort and acceptance

While you were with me for a while it is time to move on

Your hold on me has lost its firm grasp

I am starting to like what stares back