Sunday, October 26, 2008

The Knack.




THE KNACK

I love myself, I must admit;
I'm happy inside my head,
And I really hate the awful thought
That, one day, I'll be dead!
I didn't always love myself.
I remember, as a teen,
I felt one was no good at all
If one wasn't a Beauty Queen.
And I was plumpish, rather short,
Bespectacled to boot,
And every other girl at school
Seemed so petite and cute.
Not that 'cute' was a word we used
Way back in '49,
Never mind, I knew that I
Wouldn't get a Valentine.
One evening, on a well-lit bus,
When all was dark outside,
I studied my reflection,
And very nearly cried.
'I'm stuck with it' I muttered;
'It'll always be the same!'
My face would always be that way!
There was nobody to blame.
And then a thought occurred to me;
This need not be the end.
I might not be a Beauty Queen
But I could still pretend!
I could pretend I liked myself,
And no-one else would know
That my thrown-together features
Had brought me down so low.
I'd smile at everyone I met
And they would be deceived;
I'd tell the world I liked myself
And I would be believed!
I stood up, then, to leave the bus
And I saw, across the aisle,
A lone boy sitting by himself
And I flashed him my first smile!
It took some time to learn the art,
The unselfconscious knack,
But life took on a different hue
The moment he smiled back!
And the most amazing thing of all
Is although I was pretending,
This little story from my life
Has a very happy ending.
Because, while fooling others,
I tricked my simple mind,
When I looked into the mirror
I saw that Love is blind.
The face, of course, remained the same,
That couldn't be denied,
But suddenly I found that I
Was on that person's side!
I loved her, and I loved the world,
More, minute upon minute,
And I could take the whole world on
And everybody in it!
It doesn't always work, of course,
Sometimes I face the truth,
That I am really rather plain
As I was in my youth.
But it doesn't matter anymore,
My trick has seen me through.
Kid yourself you love yourself
And you'll see what it can do.

25 comments:

Mari Meehan said...

And just when was it you discovered what was hidden from that reflection was really very beautiful and that's what others saw?

Lucy said...

oh, HoW glad I am that you discovered sunday scribblings, so I could discover YOU.
THIS was JUST what I needed to read! beautifully conveyed! Thanks Brenda.
you ARE a beauty! :))

Rob Kistner said...

This was excellent, bittersweet, poignant, witty, disarmingly honest -- a wholly engaging read indeed... well done! ;)

You should be proud of your self confidence, not everyone achieves this level of actualization... bravo!

Stan Ski said...

It takes more than appearance to define beauty.

linda may said...

I loved this.Discovering about yourself.

Merle said...

Dear Brenda ~~ I really enjoyed "The Knack" Your poems are really good and I read most of them tonight. Thanks for your visit and comments about the jokes.
Take care, my friend, Love, Merle.

Darlene said...

I love the poem. Inner beauty lasts while the superficial beauty of youth is fleeting.

Let a smile be your umbrella.

Andy Sewina said...

It's amazing how the mind works! sort of what you tell it is what you get, perhaps!

Nicely written to the prompt.

Gigi Ann said...

Brenda,

That was a fantastic poem to read. I think it describes us all in one way or another as we struggle through those teen years and on into the so called adulthood. I wonder at what point in life we finally realize that inner beauty is much more important than outer beauty, or if it just slowly creeps upon us. Whatever I enjoyed the poem.

Gigi Ann said...

Brenda,

P.S. On closer inspection of your profile photo, I see nothing wrong with your looks, you look beautiful to me. ;)

ChrisJ said...

That is a great poem and should be made required reading for every young girl. We need one for boys too. It upsets me no end to see the horrible emphasis on clothes, makeup and outward beauty being spewed out for our young girls today. I was a high school teacher and principal for 22 years. I tried to make it a point to say something nice about every student I came in contact with every day, especially the really shy and unhappy ones.

JP/deb said...

the "fake it till you make it" maxim ...

seriously though, i'm glad that girl could learn to love herself.

beautiful. JP/deb

Kat said...

So true Brenda,

This so called beauty is only skin deep. Well written, cajoling the readers to learn from your poem.

I would prefer to be in the company of someone who smiles at me than with any Miss or Mrs Universe.

flowerweaver said...

Beautiful poem! I went through the same kind of transformation, so I could really appreciate it in your words. The photo is interesting, too!

Anonymous said...

Simply Superb, long yet such nice use of words and it all rhymes perfect. This one speaks to me from very close quarters. Thank You.

Charlotte said...

Hello Brenda. I don't meet too many bloggers who are older than I am. I was born in 1936. It's nice to meet you.
When I firs started reading the poem, my first thought was, "Jesus loves her. To Him she is beautiful." There is much truth in this poem. I'm glad I read it.
Have a wonderful week.
Charlotte

LadyFi said...

Wonderful poem! And it is so important to love ourselves in order to be able to love others!

Brenda said...

unique photo. thanks for the poem.

Stan Ski said...

Nice one to revisit and COT can be found at carryontuesdayprompt (dot blogspotdot com).

Elizabeth said...

What a wonderful zany piece that everyone needs to read and know. Fantastic.

Elizabeth

flaubert said...

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder! I love this!
Pamela

vivienne blake said...

Books and covers; skin deep. Clichés don't say the half of it. Your poem is lovely, and worth re-reading from time to time, for the morale boost.
ViV

one more believer said...

it is a wonderful philosophy to discover one can love oneself just as much as another... love the ride on the bus description... a wonderful fork in the road... must be the air

keiths ramblings said...

It's not always easy to love oneself. I suppose one could turn a blind eye to one's faults - we all have them - but that would only lead to self delusion. But I think I'm a pretty OK guy, and that's near enough for me!

Robin said...

Wonderfully done! Great message, terrific rhyme, and quite poignant.