There is time you spent looking
somewhere in the course
of the day
or days
or weeks and months
maybe even years

for that certainty of presence.

This is where you are no longer any sort
of impostor
of fearful
of lacking
of emotional
or dramatic

when the only thing there is, is that you, yourself, are.

those noises in your head are you
however not you

the illumination from introspection is many thousands of years old
from the masters it is possible to experience
the presence of who you are being
there is a grayness before the shining bright white
the smell of this work is the odor of freshly cut grass
and the sense of it, is that what you are looking for, is no longer missing.

That what was missing was always there, even so.

Poem copyrighted 01/2023, Ray Whitaker
Photo Copyrighted, 01/2023, Ray Whitaker. “Snowstorm over The Garden Of The Gods”

Do you ever wonder if the way you look
was a mistake?

Do you think it’s just more of a problem

for you? Why?

Is it because you think that most

look better than you?

Or perhaps they are in a more perfect

way than you feel you are?

What is the perfect look?

Who said so?

Who set the rules, to say who

looks better than the other?

Anyone can be pretty, beautiful,

no matter who they are

or how they look.

Beautiful is having beauty,

it was never said,

what kind of beauty.

You make your own beauty!

Pretty is said to be pleasingly attractive,

An act of pleasure.

Anyone can be pleasurable

and create enjoyment,

That defines beauty and pretty,

And it is within.

Sure, you can look good and attractive

on the outside,

But to be beautiful all over,

You must also be beautiful on the inside.

It is always said that,

Beauty is only skin deep.

No matter what the world may throw at you or

your mishaps, or disabilities,

You are unique,

and your uniqueness is what makes

you stand out from everyone else.

We cannot all look alike,

because if we did,

How would you be able to distinguish

your differences from anyone else.

We were all made different

for many reasons,

but it is what we do with our differences,

that makes us even more beautiful.

Just as there are different seasons,

There is day and then there’s night.

There are many different animals

of this world,

Many beautiful and different flowers

and trees of all kinds.

Everything and everyone from the beginning

was to be different,

that was the plan.

So, when you happen to see someone

That seem to be staring at you,

Because you may look a little

different to what they’re use to,

It is OK, your difference is out in the open,

they could be hiding theirs.

Keep your head up, be strong and proud,

and keep saying to yourself,

I am different, I am unique,

I am beautiful,

and if you want to deal with me,

then you must take me as I am,

I too came into this world,

loved as a child of God,

Just like you.

So, do not whine or whimper

about the way you look,

Accept the way it is, and have confidence

in just the way you are,

Believe and know

that the way you were formed

and the way you look

was never a mistake.

You were made to be you,

Not him, not her,

not me, not them, no one else,

But You!