A POEM

Another long one but worth the read I think.

You stand and face the mirror

And you magnify your flaws

You focus on the features

That are so uniquely yours

But their uniqueness doesn't matter

For they simply don't conform

To the criteria of beauty

They've convinced you is the norm

They make believe that beauty

Doesn't go beneath your skin

That you simply can't be pretty

If you have a crooked grin

They say your eyes can't be too small

Your nose can't be too big

That your lips must be just right

Not over full and not too thin

They say your ears must not stick out

Your hair can't be too wild

Only those with tick-box beauty

May be physically admired

But those obsessed by beauty

Are the ones who can't be free

Because they're limited by what

Somebody else says they should be

So next time you face the mirror

And you smile your crooked grin

Remember beauty's just a tower

That society's trapped you in

And you think you can't escape

Because you think there is no key

But you simply need to re-define

The walls of your beauty

by

Becky Hemlsey from her book 

Talking to the Wild - The Bedtime Stories We Never Knew We Needed

Poem: The Tower

Preface: "What is a beautiful face without a beautiful soul?"

Page 27

Becky is wise beyond her years. 

Becky Hemsley is an author I discovered last year and am so happy I did because when reading her poetry, I find myself saying, "Wow!" Becky lives in Leicestershire, UK, with her husband, two boys and their dog. She was formerly a primary school teacher for 15 years but now writes full-time and has written four collections. The first - entitled 'Talking to the Wild', which features the poem 'Breathe'. Also, another book now which is a follow on, 'What the Wild Replied. I treated myself to these two books. She also has two further regular collections, and one of loss and grief poetry, as well as three children's books, one of which is an illustrated version of 'Breathe', which I have also shared here, and a children's book of the poem 'Starlight'. She is drawn to, and moved by, nature and its consistencies with human emotion (this I can attest to). In her words, "I often think the phrase 'human nature' is a good one to describe my thought process when writing. I aim to make a difference with words by helping people realize they are not alone."  She really is an amazing poet!