Our Wrinkles Are Earned

The problem with elevating self worth in America,

is that it elevates self worth.

It’s an easy path to narcissism.

We call ourselves, and our followers ‘Kings’ and ‘Queens’

on our social media,

as we once again,

post another picture of ourselves.

The ‘likes’ confirm our self worth,

watering the seeds of narcissism.

The seed sprouts,

and each day that we look for confirmation

that we are special,

that we are beautiful,

that we are well liked,

it grows and grows and grows.

Narcissus would’ve had a party on Instagram.

We aren’t ‘Kings’ and ‘Queens’

We are just skin suits on a spinning rock,

and it won’t matter if we are beautiful in our twenties,

if we rot our souls in the process.

Water yourself with books and poems.

Water yourself with memories and relationships.

Water yourself with knowledge.

Water yourself with music and new skills.

Be brave and take chances

and watch what your seed grows into.

We should love ourselves for who we are

and never because of what we look like.

Plastic surgery is artificial beauty

and it’s worse than that,

it’s a cry for help–

as we rage against the natural process of aging.

We should not rage against nature,

we should love her for who she is.

She is life and death.

She is youth and decay.

She is a sunset and a tornado.

She is the sun and the comet.

Our wrinkles and gray hairs are earned through surviving the maze that is existence.

Be grateful you lived long enough to attain your wrinkles and your gray hairs.

-C.H.