You Don't Have to Be Pretty(to Be Beautiful)

[couchgrouch]

You Don't Have to Be Pretty(To Be Beautiful)Jim took a crooked walkwaythrough the bramble and the brushwhere just off the path in white sand and brown grassa rose fought to keep its blushthe chill of Fall chewed its petalsthe sky hadn't cried in weeksas it leaned toward the lightthat sad and lonely sightmade Jim look back and think"you don't have to be pretty to be beautifulyour face doesn't have to tickle the eyesthe sparkle of a strong yet fragile soulis something the surface can't disguisewhat you get ain't what you seeso you don't have to be pretty to be beautiful"now Kim don't bother with Clairolyouth is something dye can't fakeshe felt old before her timecouldn't pass for twenty-nineback when she was twenty-eightthough the hallway mirror's narrowdressing there makes her look thinshe don't cos if how she feelsisn't based on what's realchances for happiness are slimand "you don't have to be pretty to be beautifulyour face doesn't have to tickle the eyesthe sparkle of a strong yet fragile soulis something the surface can't disguisewhat you get ain't what you seeso you don't have to be pretty to be beautiful"Jim'd boxed bareknucklewhen he was down on his luckhad a rodeo limp and a scar on his chinhis grey whiskers covered upKim got the door and didn't missthe bouquet he could've boughtshe saw that ragged manhaggard rose in his handcaressed his beard and thought"you don't have to be pretty to be beautifulyour face doesn't have to tickle the eyesthe sparkle within a strong yet fragile soulis something the surface can't disguisewhat you get ain't what you seeso you don't have to be pretty to be beautiful"(c)2006 Robert George