The girl braces herself As she looks in the mirror. She stares blankly At the person looking back at her. She thinks: if only… If only she could change The puff that inflates her cheeks, The bags that drag her eyes, The untamed spirals in her hair, The crooked shape of her nose, The chub and roundness of her belly, The pale darkness of her skin. So plain. So flawed. So imperfect. If only… If only she could lovingly embrace The cute roundness of her face, The dark circles that hug her hazel eyes, The ringlet curls that fall down her head, The contour of her ancestor’s nose, The belly that smiles with nourishment, The glistening of her dark-complexioned skin. So unique. So flawless. So real.