More than Pretty

By Jia Chokhawala

I wish I were pretty—
Not the perfect hair, perfect skin pretty,
Not the flawless frame, the magazine glow,
But the kind of pretty that hearts truly know.

I want to be the gentle hands,
The one who listens, who understands.
The always-there, the steady light,
The soul that warms the coldest night.

Let me be the girl who cries,
Who wears her truth behind her eyes.
With breakouts, scars, a weary face,
Yet filled with love, with quiet grace.

For beauty fades, it slips, it sways,
But kindness shines in endless ways.
They say you’re pretty when you gleam,
But I am more than what they dream.

Pretty is simple, shallow, slight—
But I choose depth, I choose light.
Not just a face for them to see,
But a heart that beats in honesty.

~Jia