Una Carta de Amor Para Mi

Illustration by: Kimberly Cienfuegos

It’s hard to take a compliment you see                                         

When you struggle to recognize your beauty                                         

Slowly all the negative comments lead to insecurity                    

You wonder where you fall on the spectrum enforced by society  

Looking into the mirror,   

You pick apart every flaw

Slowly your inner self starts to fissure

And subconsciously you begin to withdraw

I disappear into a rabbit hole of faux reality

I am not the perfect filters or curated Instagram feeds

My skin is not without its blemishes, I am not paper thin, but that is not an abnormality

The time has come for me to alter any standard that is preconceived

And grant myself an apology  

At long last, I am set free