Shiny, Silky, Swollen…

i am not designed for this world of

radical individualism and

indulged selfishness,

i am not built for its people

so callous and cruel

are we so starved for attention

we post our flesh on screens

so palms can grip tighter

and thumbs can tap hearts

do we so badly need to be wanted

we abandon our brains

and pout our lips

so we can feel more

more validated

more beautiful,

we all want to feel beautiful,

but beauty doesn’t matter

because it’s ever-evolving

and swiftly lost

and only ours to borrow for a brief moment

and it doesn’t matter how much of it we have,

we will still be crushed

our kind eyes made to water

in the pursuit of

more beauty

fresh beauty

new beauty

as though aesthetics mean anything at all

we give our bodies away

and call it empowerment

but I’m yet to feel any type of power

any kind of real potency

from a man who trades body parts

before thoughts from the heart

we all hope we are beautiful

but maybe we should desire to

be beautiful of soul,

and mind

beautiful in gestures,

and generosity

beautiful because of how we make people feel

and maybe even how we make them think,

not because of

a smile

or some hair

real beauty is found in

selflessness,

and originality,

in empathy,

and fortitude

but those traits don’t deliver dopamine hits

and they don’t appear on the screen

shiny

silky

swollen