Pretty
by Avika Shukla
Health Careers High School
Avika Shukla is a high school student Health Careers High School in San Antonio, Texas. She enjoys writing poetry that explores identity, emotion, and everyday moments. Her work reflects a curiosity about people and the world around her. Her writing Instagram page is @avikawrites.
The beauty people write about
The beauty I don’t see
The pretty people talk about
The pretty in my dreams
Left sitting in a world
Where beauty isn’t in the person
But their products
Their makeup
Their hair
Are they attractive?
Cuz if not...
This has become the beauty of our dreams
The beauty we try to achieve
Not one we can feel, but one we can see.
What about that person who made us smile?
What about the one who made us laugh?
Where we feel comfortable?
What happened to the beauty we feel?
Why do we restrict ourselves to the beauty we see?
What happened to the pretty we don’t talk about
The pretty that makes me feel this life is meant to be
Is it my aim to be conventionally attractive
Or is it to be the person people smile when they see
Do I want outward beauty
Or one that remains within me
It’s become a hard choice
One I don’t know
If I choose pretty
Or I choose me