You’re a face to some
A smile, eyes, brows
Not intelligent enough. Not quite gifted. Not the right fit at the table
But you are soul
Creation embodied in a human
with thoughts, emotions, purpose
They see what they choose
Race. Job. Degree. Pedigree.
They count accolades like a ticking clock.
One. Two. Three.
As if time is your master and you are late
But you are heart
Made of passions bundled like firewood, ready to ignite the next spark
You are talents bubbling to the surface like water in a stovetop kettle
Hopes and dreams dribble to the floor as stardust when you walk
You are a breathing home to those who are lost
They say they know you
“A girl like that can’t be both beautiful and wise, she must be one”
But you are both, and your beauty is lost on them that know not kindness
They hunt for failures and pin them to your name
You’re a face to them
A shiny, perfect face.
Do not be too much. Do not be peculiar. Do not be odd.
You’re just right when you shrink into their small space
Unable to digest your aura, they decide that it must be luck
Brushing off the bad days and hard nights
The childhood scares and once-upon-a-times
All the scars you endured that polished you into a gem
And the fire you drowned in to emerge as gold
You’re easier to understand when your story is forgotten
When your courage can be passed over for naivety
And your honesty is dissected to merely weakness
And luck, you agree
Because sometimes you are just a face, even to you.
Published by Spillwords Press on 10 February 2023: https://spillwords.com/a-face-to-some/