The not so ugly duckling

I was the last of my siblings, born with a huge birthmark engulfing my body

My mother had one word to describe it: Ugly

These are her exact words, as she is telling me right now the story of my birth

I cried and went across the river to be with my only friend

He said the only way to solve all my insecurities was to have surgery to get it removed

And at this moment I was for once not sad

In an instant I handed over all my money I had saved up for college

A few cuts later and I was normal

The feeling running through my bones was pure joy

For I was no longer ugly

It only took a day to realize that I was actually still not perfect

I went back across the river and got botox done

The feeling running through my bones was pure joy

The next day I got my lips plumped

As I was returning home I caught a glimpse in the mirror

I didn’t recognize my own face

My own small town didn’t recognize me

I ran back to my friend and cried for hours and hours

For I felt even uglier than before

He said “ well of course you do, you should have realized that your outside appearance doesn’t determine your beauty”

I ran back home to my mother and told her how I felt

She turned around and lifted up her shirt to show me her back

“ I know exactly how you feel, my pretty little duckling.”

The feeling running through my bones was pure joy