Why, if we distress our furniture to glamorize imperfections,
do we try to sculpt our bodies into perfection?

Why, if we distress photographs, mystifying the past–
do we resist getting older, avoiding future’s past?

Why do we distress paper crafts, emphasizing wrinkles,
but can’t do enough to smooth over our skin?

Why do we distress new jeans to look faded and worn,
then complain of fading hair color and aging skin?

But if a person is distressed, it’s not an outer appearance
that we can smooth over or sculpt or change,

It’s an unforeseen blemish, buried deep within,
yet it’s humanly possible to heal and resurface it.

For, unlike tangible objects, we choose what people see–
Let my inside be my outside, when others look at me.