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- Pretty by Tilly Aldridge, North Hertfordshire College
Pretty by Tilly Aldridge, North Hertfordshire College
February 2022
You have to be pretty they told me
But pretty is a lie
The pretty they told me I needed to be
Made me almost die.
It ate me up inside out
It shattered all my dreams
My world began to darken
The tears now fell in streams.
My meals became less frequent
My stomach an empty pit
I cared no longer for my health
I knew that this was it.
My body became my worth
A trophy to display
Attracting people with my looks
Hoping they would stay.
The light in my eyes faded
It became a dim glow
I was slowly dying
But they didn’t seem to know.
I craved their attention
Their compliments and praise
I knew it was the only thing
To get me through the days.
My mind was distorted
All twisted and decayed
My vision warped and broken
I had been betrayed.
They broke me into pieces
I crumbled to the floor
In that moment I realised
I was worth much more.
More than pretty, more than looks
I’m everything in between
For the things that make me pretty
Cannot ever be seen.
My looks aren’t worth a penny
They don’t prove a thing
For pretty is found on the inside
Always from within.
They told me to be pretty
But that was just a lie
For pretty is within me
Until the day I die.