Comparison

by Cheryl Merrick

Sighing, she compares herself
     to the lanky models;
Her legs and arms too heavy,
her waist not small enough,
her hips too large,
her chin too small,
her nose too nubby, and
her hair too disobedient.

In despair she hopes for a
     “Total Makeover”.
Forgetting who she really is,
     obsessed with who she thinks she should be,
     she wraps herself in a cloak of pity,
Withholding the gifts
she has been given to share.

Looking

by Cheryl Merrick

When I look to each side,
I shrink away.
Overwhelmed by
the brightness of their talents,
I discount my own.

When I look behind me,
I’m overcome with regret.
If only I had done things differently.
If only I had done more.