In the heat of a summer’s night,
Sweat clinging to her skin,
Hair pasted upon her back
She paints her nails.
She makes an attempt at beauty,
But in her heart she feels there is no such thing.
Everything about her is all wrong,
Her hair,
her eyes
right down to her very feet.
No ammount of polish,
No ammount of mascara will cover her flaws
nor mask her inperfections.
What then is she to do?
Give up?
No.
Giving up would be giving in,
Admitting to herself that in fact she is ugly.
Beauty, she can not gain,
Not like this warm night,
Not like the beautiful stars,
Not like the most blessed creations on earth.
She dips her brush back into the bottle
to look upon the heavens
Wishing, hoping that one day soon she can
See the beauty in herself
And paint her nails no more.

Samantha Samis

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/superfical-beauty/