i woke up like this,

sun in my eyes

sqinting towards the day ahead.

beary eyed and a dry mouth with a side of drool

a disheveled mess

with a good morning sounding like a grunt. 

i lift my heavy bones from the comfort of my old, ratty blanket.

the mirror shows a less primped version of me,

natural

nothing to hide. 

i poke and prod my skin,

eyelashes blacker than night, 

my skin porcelain like a doll. 

i feel

F L A W L E S S. 

like a cat on the prowl,

fierce,

ready to take on the day ahead of me

in style.

my hair is still a mess

managable,

but nothing can stop me now.

i do not do this for you,

for the boy who stares at me in class from time to time,

i do not do it for my mother

or my father

or my future family

i do it for me.

i feel unstoppable.

my beauty may be amplified 

but it doesn't mean my beauty is fake.

i have fallen in love with myself

my crooked smile,

my grandmothers eyes,

the long lanky legs i had to grow into.

my body is forever

my closest friend

and i will be with this body

til the day my eyes shut permanently.

i am

F L A W L E S S

whether i am the star of the show

or i'm spending a friday night alone.

i feel 

F L A W L E S S

when i'm me,

even if my skin is porcelain

or blotchy and discolored

when my eyes shine like emeralds in the sunlight

i am 

F L A W L E S S

whether or not 

this boy made fun of my outfit in class

or my friends really asked me if i was wearing that.

i am comfortable in the skin i'm in

and that makes me

F L A W L E S S.