[13] swan song

My hands fidget at my
sides quietly as I play
with the ring on my thumb,
I can feel people staring
at my quietly bent figure as
I pass by; I know my pitted skin
is painted in varying hues
of red and I know my smile is
ravished by crooked teeth and
my awkward “fangs” I never outgrew
from my youth; I know my body
is not perfectly symmetrical
by Vogue standards and
that I don’t move with
my head held high in
perfect confidence but
I have a grace all my own--
I am my own swan
amongst ugly ducklings.