Who Decided What Beauty Is?
and isn't
Who decided what beauty is?
In the dictionary,
it is called pleasing to the senses,
especially sight.
To me, it is when a rescued animal
curls up to you for the first time,
or the smell of rain
teasing the heat wave,
or choosing to wear my glasses today.
Who decided what beauty isn’t?
Because I have never felt uglier
than after listening
to conversations judging
the face of a human
with a sparrow’s voice or when
reading opinions admonishing
the passion
of someone whose best friend
once told them they were enough.
Who decided what is pleasing?
Because I love
being draped in baggy, frayed
jeans and remnants of yesterday.
I bathe in mud instead of
milk. I walk the path of
could instead of should.
Who decided we must
look different
than how we wake?
Even children
just learning to walk,
college students who forgot
how to sleep,
and aging bodies
just as terrified as the younger?
You could teach me all the
latest trends for covering
my flaws,
but I will always decide
they are not.
Because what I find pleasing
is the raccoon snuggling
her kits in a rotten tree trunk.
Beauty is the first time
someone tries
to be vulnerable and is answered
with kindness.
It is knowing I can wear
the red dress or sweater instead.
There is nothing more wholesome,
pleasant, gorgeous
than a body who knows
they can simply exist.
About the Creator
Sam Eliza Green
Wayward soul, who finds belonging in the eerie and bittersweet. Poetry, short stories, and epics. Stay a while if you're struggling to feel understood. There's a place for you here.
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Muses & Musings
Welcome to my new series, a weekly blog on what’s inspiring me. I spent much of last week in bed with a stomach bug. I’ll spare you the details of that—but in addition to the grotesque physical symptoms, I had some fever dreams I won’t soon forget. Imagine my surprise to see Vocal’s newest challenge: Write a fiction story about a recurring dream or nightmare.
By Davina Zinn McKee7 days ago in Journal
Comments (19)
This. Is. All!!! All the things that writing does to fuel the soul. Beauty is a nutrient. Pleasure and compassion are nutrients. The world is in the condition it is in because people have been starving, filling themselves with 'fake food' when just one glance at his poem would satisfy hunger. Thank you sooooo much for writing!
What a captivating poem Beautiful words !!!
Happily, subscribed, great poem deserving of top story
Beauty Is Your Poem That you shared and I just read. ❤️
"Beauty is the first time someone tries to be vulnerable and is answered with kindness." I was already saying wow, but when I came to those lines...! This is one of the very best poems I've ever read on Vocal. A wholly deserved shout-out by the team! Perhaps the secret (not that I'd ever presume to unpick a work so accomplished) is the balance struck, between examples drawn from your own experience and the common ground shared by your readership on the interpretation of beauty. To speak for myself, I'm transported to a time when my mother was still alive, and a place you've possibly never been. Everything I learned about beauty then is reaffirmed in what I read here. Many have commented the same below, and far more concisely, so please forgive my ramble! I just wanted to express that there is so much truth and humanity in your poem that it awed me. What you do here is precisely what is meant by people connecting through writing.
Nice written... Incredible! I loved it... Congratulations On the Top Story🤝...
Like all of us as individuals, you yourself have decided, for you, what constitutes 'beauty,' 'pleasant,' or the lack thereof. We all have our individual tastes. This is a lovely written piece demonstrating that fact. Fantastic work.
I enjoyed your poem!
Congratulations 🎉 🎉♥️✌️
"choosing to wear my glasses today" -- wow. There is so much in this simple line. An utterly beautiful poem. I adore your poetic mind.
This was beautifully written, great job!
Excellent. Just excellent. Congratulations!
ABSOLUTELY!!! You nailed it! I had a friend who was much more attractive that I am. However, she's also a snob and decided who she should befriend and why. I am so ready to admit that I'm 76, too many freckles, under-eye bags, and rolls of fat that will never fall off. I am me and proud of who I am. Your poem is no doubt, FANTASTIC. Thank you for allowing us to keep our own sized, personal pedestal.
Congratulations on achieving top story status!
Incredible.
This is so lovely, really resounding with my thoughts exactly. Being a laid back person, I totally understand, my mode of dress gets laughed at, but it's ok. Thanks for validation, really a great read. Beauty is what we make it.
excellent!
💯💯💯 You nailed it! 💪 Great job, seriously! 👌
This is a must read poem by everyone! I just loved this so much!