Love Poem: Pretty
Brian Cochran Avatar
Written by: Brian Cochran

Pretty

I’m not interested in ‘pretty',
The television fantasy of reality,
Boxed up and bow-tied.
That pre-packaged, overpriced 
Slice of life
Bought and sold by the pound
Of flesh,
That one-size-fits-all 
(Except you)
Kind of beauty.
Give me flaws and faults,
Hills and valleys, 
A crooked smile
And miles of interesting skin.
I don’t need made-up and maxed-out, 
Sucked in or thinned down.
I want to see what’s real,
In all of its abstract 
And unconventional glory: 
Asymmetrical faces,
Lived-in bodies with scars
And traces of the story
Of someone who is just not quite right
For a modeling career. 
I want to see the face behind the mask,
Natural-born, 
Unadorned, 
Non conformed. 
Perfection is a myth,
Beauty is chaos.