My False Image

When you gaze upon me,
You see a pretty girl.
With her sparkling eyes and white smile,
A dark-haired beauty beckons you.

Oh how I wish I was an iridescent goddess,
Able to compete with the women of your past.
Yet in reality I fade into nothingness,
Jealously bemoaning that ghost of an image.

I feel grotesquely inadequate,
How could you find this shell desirable?
A drab, empty woman,
My deceiving facade fading away.

I am terrified of you seeing me,
All of my blemishes in plain view.
What will you think of me?
This frightful creature, a nightmare no doubt!

Your vision destroyed,
You will wonder who she is.
This plain, now invisible girl,
Who pretended she was beautiful.

I longed for you approval,
Begging for a kind word.
Many times I said to you,
Tell me something good about me.

You did not know the cause of my insecurity,
How could you, with that false image?
A picture's worth a thousand words,
Yet that picture hides a multitude of flaws.

As the days go on,
My sense of inadequacy grows.
How could you ever want this token image,
Knowing I will never meet your expectations?