Poetry: You're Human, by Mariam Vaid

What if I told you, "pretty' was just six letters strung together,
A label created by society, a superficial image women are forced to maintain
The badge of perfection that you struggle to attain is all a lie.
For no one can be "pretty" nor ugly
But what we can be, is human.
What if I told you "pretty' was a tortuous, skin deep prison, they put you into,
Surrounded by the haunting echoes of people telling you how you should be
"If you ate less and lost a little weight, you'd be so pretty"
"If you have the most expensive taste in fashion, you'd be so pretty"
Here's what they mean: "Only if you look like those models on T.V, you're pretty"
Sweetheart, what if I told you, you aren't pretty, you never were and never will be.
You are an intricately crafted phenomenon
Too complex, to ever be described by a word as simple as "pretty"
Every particle in your body carefully picked from this vast universe,
A carefully thought out palette of your looks, your eyes, and smile,
Every curve and scar of your body carefully plucked from the sunsets and skies.
You are too unique to alter and replace, every part of you too beautiful to change.
So if anyone ever says that by doing something you'd be so pretty
Tell them "pretty" doesn't dictate your worth and is something you never aspire to be.