Lift your foot, bend your knee
One at a time.
Don't you look back, let it be-
You are committing no crime.

Step closer to that wall,
And stare into the portal that hangs on it.
The portal is about 10 ft tall,
You can see yourself in it.

Mirror mirror on the wall,
Your heart aches, your eyes wander
Who's the unworthiest of them all?
Who's the ugly, ugly blunder?

You do not wait for an answer,
For you consider it to lie within you.
You think of yourself as the cancer,
And assume that the rest of the world does too.

Your gaze stops at the dark world beneath your eyes,
And you hate how the fine lines and puffiness make you look so tired and old.

Why do you never look yourself in the eye,
To see what all you sacrificed?
Where your purity shines brighter than gold.

Why do you look down at your tummy
And all you notice are some absent curves or extra fat?
'I don't feel like eating today, mummy'
My love, who are you fooling with a lie like that?

When was the last time you ate something with no guilt?
When was the last time you didn't obsess over how -
Kale will help you lose weight,
No sugar will make you prettier and easier to date.
I wish you knew that no food is more poison-filled
Than not eating at all.

You are pretty, you are enough
As long as you are healthy from within.
Let go of these beauty standards, I know it is tough
But there is no point to fit in

In a world where your appearance affects the treatment you receive.
Look in the portal in front of you,
Did that survivor standing in it ever leave -
A loved one crying?
The motivation for a friend dying?

If not, then why do you do that to yourself?
Are you not someone's friend, someone's love?
Why can't you love yourself the way you love others?
You have hated yourself enough, now it is time to shove
All the love within you as well, and get rid of everything that bothers.

The portal in front of you forces you to look at yourself
'Cause if it was up to you, you would never take a second look.
Step a bit closer, look at yourself -
Let your reflection read you like a book.

Not even a quarter of this book is filled yet,
And you think you are done already?
You still have to stand up and live life and let
Stuff gets stable and steady.

But till then, my love
Don't let others fool you.
Your beauty shall only rise above
If your mind and soul are as angelic too.

.    .    .