a life in words

pretty

the face staring back at me seems a little different today,

for once i did not look up and point out each of her flaws,

i did not frown and shake my head,

praying that they would disappear if i fluttered my eyelids enough,

but tonight she looks pretty,

and not because of a full face of makeup,

or perfectly straight hair,

in fact,

she has mascara stains on her cheeks from the tears she cried and never thought to dry,

her mouth is turned in a frown because of the drowning thoughts ever present in her mind,

her hair in its normal messy waves,

cascading down her shoulders and around her face,

but tonight she is pretty because she has chosen not to try and be "pretty,"

she is pretty because she isn't wearing a mask,

she is pretty because she is here,

she is real,

she has stopped pretending,

and that is when she is the most beautiful.