If

My life would be different if I didn’t look the way I do. We can lie about this, but the truth is, if I were obese, my life would be different. If I had atrocious acne, my life would be different. If I looked like Gael Garcia Bernal, my life would be different. Thinking about this inspired the poem below.

If I didn’t look like me
would you treat me differently?

If my skin was a shade darker
if I stood a few inches taller
if my hair was a little bit longer
would any of this really matter?

Because I wonder if you like me for me
or because you simply enjoy what you see?

If I wore baggy clothes
if I put a piercing in my nose
if I painted my fingers and my toes
would I still be the person everyone “knows”?

If I put on a few pounds
if I made funny sounds
I can’t help but wonder
would you still want me around?

Because I think we lie to ourselves
about the importance of looks.
We judge everything by what we see
especially the covers of books.

We smother our faces in make-up
we throw jell onto our hair
yet when someone laughs at our appearance
we lie like a child in trouble
and claim we don’t care.

So yeah…I think you would treat me differently,
if I didn’t look exactly like me.