This assignment was structured around taking a line from a poem in our course readings (I chose "why are we so afraid of shame?") and creating our own response poem to it. Below is my final, revised version!

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Why are we so afraid

of the way the world sees us?

The way our thighs jiggle a little too much,

the way our faces look without makeup,

or with makeup.

That humiliation you felt

trying on a not-so-perfect dress?

It's all in your head.

Shake off your shattered confidence,

don't pay it mind, kill it dead.

Think you need to slim down? Bulk up?

Maybe think again.

The hidden truth is that everyone's equal.

An hourglass isn't any better than a pear.

Abs hidden behind fat are still there.

You see the wrinkles, the stretch marks,

the unkempt hair? Pay them no worry.

We are who we are.

Flaws should be flaunted, imperfections embraced,

extraordinary individuals cannot be replaced.

Your worth isn't measured by the size of your jeans.

Whether curvy, muscular, or petite

every body is beautiful, everybody's unique.

So why, oh why, are we so afraid

of the way the world sees us?