Beauty Is As Beauty Does

What is beauty?
Who is it to choose?
Isn’t it much more like a deformity—
Cuts you off, alienates you.
But everyone wants it.
Who is beautiful?
What makes them that way?
Is it the shape of my face or body
Or the way my hair sets?
Who are you to say I’m beautiful?
Only God knows,
Because He looks at my soul.
Fleeting like a leaf in the Autumn breeze.
Hard to catch it, but if you do,
It crumples and flies away.
If it eludes you, you wonder why
And wish you knew what it would be like
to have it . . .

We all know that beauty is a fleeting thing. Time and gravity eventually take over, slowly eroding our youthful glow. True beauty comes from the inside, not outward appearance. A warm smile and gracious attitude can even increase your attractive quotient. As a girl who grew up being told she was beautiful, I always took it with a grain of salt. Sure, I was grateful for my good looks, but I knew there were others more attractive than I was. It wasn’t worth it to compare or criticize myself. I just needed to be happy with myself.

What are your views on beauty? How has it affected you? Let’s talk about it in the comments below.

Like this poem? Check out it and more in my book, Poetry in Composition: A Coffee Table Book of Poetry and Photos.