It is the doll I carried everywhere
The grade none of us would ever receive
The product of hours and hours of rehearsal.

It is the first slow dance
The smile on your face
The dresses in all the semi pictures.

It is a hug when I’m down
A snowflake stuck in my hair
A new friend when I’m alone
A shot made by my team at the buzzer.

It is flawless…
but flawless will never be me.

Looking in the mirror
With a make-up coated face
Hair as straight as can be
I still see the truth…

The stray hair I missed with the straightener
The secrets I’m trying to hide
The stain on my shirt
The dryness of my lips
The klutziness I’m prone to.

There is no hiding
what I see in the mirror…
I
see myself
being
the same
as I have
always
been…

Flawlessly
Imperfect.