Risking Beauty

Rasping words

Ringing clean

Through my

Small ear buds

The Beautiful is empty

Beautiful is free

Beautiful loves no one

Beautiful stripped me

Beautiful by Creed

Beautiful playing out

Every moment

Through every outlet

Beauty is sold

Used to

Catch an eye

Capture a soul

The desire

To consume

Playing out

One click

At a time

What is behind

The daily search

For beauty

Does beauty

Equal intimacy?

Or as Creed says

In your mind

She’s your companion

Vile instincts

Often candid

Your regret

Is all that’s left

Times in

My life

Experiencing this

Regret myself

Tasting of imitation

Allowing its poison

To numb my need

For true relationship

Allowing it

To serve

As a roadblock

Keeping me

From knowing

Deeper me

And another

Why do

We humans

Move towards

Cheapened beauty

Like a moth

Driven by light-lust?

Searching for

More of ourselves

Settling for

Empty-caloried Twinkies

When we can

Fully experience

Homemade chocolate cake?

Beautiful can

Be cheap

Beautiful is a

Free commodity

Something that

Requires nothing

Of ourselves

No having to

Give or share

Not having to

Stretch or grow

Not having to

Face the fear

That beads

Like sweat

After a hot

Summer run

The false allure

Drawing in

Both female and male

Intimacy is expensive

It requires investment

And time

Requiring us

To step out

From the comfortable

Into the uncomfortable

And unknown

Being willing

To face

Inner Demons

Large and small

Risking a piece

Of ourselves

With another

It’s time

Time to step

Time to expose

Our broken pieces

Allowing others

A glimpse in

Join me

In defying danger

Trusting another

With ourselves

Sharing our

Inner beauty

Rick Ellsmore

1.31.20