The Guilt of Being an Average Girl

the guilt of being
an average girl
is that when i
take my clothes off
i suppress the urge
to apologize
for all my flaws
and when i dare
to express myself
with confidence
a cold aftertaste is
left in my mouth
that tells me 
to be ashamed
when i breathe too hard
hiking steps or
sweat too much or
don’t wear make-up
or wear too much
or struggle with my words
i can see in split-screen
our society’s expectation
of “the girl”
and beside it i sit
wholly not even close
to it
and i can say
FUCK OFF to it 
because it’s unrealistic
for all but those few
weird unicorns
but when no one 
loves you in that way
you start to say to yourself
it’s because you are not
that weirdly perfect unicorn 
every day
now personally
i’ve developed a taste
for the flaws in humans--
it’s a gap tooth i’d love
to sink my teeth into— 
and i’ll do my own work
and i’m doing my own work
to doubt my own beauty
and worth less
but the pressure still
exists and will continue to
unless we all work to
stop perpetuating this lie
or apparition 
that is the image of
“the girl”

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