Inside on the Other Side

When she becomes the prom queen,

She is the prettiest thing they’ve ever seen.

Soft gold curls spill over her back—

Bright green eyes, no sign of decay inside.

A spotlight slithers across her cream-colored gown.

She beams as she accepts her crown.

Her head comes up in a white marble-tiled bathroom.

She stares deep into the reflection

In her mother’s mirror.

Sitting by the window, she stares

Into the sun. Waiting

For a crimson bouquet, she powders

Her face.

Peachy pink cheeks on pale white skin.

She colors her lips and paints on a smile,

Then slips on a dress that flows to the floor.

They call out her name. Lost

In a daze, she walks out on stage

To stand all alone.

And when they crowned me the prom queen, I was

The ugliest girl I’d ever seen.