staring into the mirror.
she plucks.
pinches.
creates.

wants to be wonderful.
dares to conform.
be that dream.
be that beauty.
and loves every second of it.

until she wakes up
to the truth-
the the ugly world of it.

of it all.
the compliments.
the excuses

the way the clothes fall
and lie.
and begin.
dripping with sweat
and lies.
and manipulation.

all the games she's been playing.
she can do it with her eyes closed-
door open-
on the street.

and she's bored.
so she walks out-
naked.
stripped of that life
and continues on.

doesn't know where she's going
but determined to get there.

-a.