Bare Faced Bravery

“In a world veiled in shadows, unseen faces lie,

Where women with masks must daily comply.

The visage of truth is concealed beneath paint,

A silent lament and a persistent constraint.

Little girls wander through corridors of deceit,

Seeking the essence of women they meet.

Yet, everywhere they turn, only masks they find,

A lesson in hiding and in being confined.

What if, with boldness, their true faces shone,

In every mirror their authenticity known?

Would not the world be a more nurturing place,

If girls saw the courage in a bare and honest face?

Why must we teach them they must hide away,

Their natural beauty, forbidden display?

Men walk unburdened, boys bask in the free,

While girls learn to shroud what ought to just be.

This tale we are telling, this story of shame,

Is a future of silence, a dangerous game.

In seeking approval, in donning the guise,

We bind their spirits, we stifle their cries.

I yearn for a world where a woman can stand,

Bare-faced and proud, with an outstretched hand.

For comfort, for solace, for strength to embrace,

In the genuine glow of a makeup-free face.

Let us unveil the dystopia, the fear,

And carve out a path where every girl can steer,

Towards a horizon of honesty, bright,

Where the faces of women radiate light.”

-aubs

July 6, 2024