An Ode To Pimples Poem by Vonnie Postit

an ode to Pimples

pimples,
polka dots,
mountains,
moons.
redness,
color,
pimples--
you go by many names.
mostly just the one in my head, though.

the one that I write S-H-A-M-E or
A-N-X-I-E-T-Y or
L-O-N-E-L-Y;

but when I say it out loud,
it comes out confidence—
with biceps and color &
loud laughter.

dear Pimples,
I'm sorry I've taken every medication,
every cream and every home remedy
to evict you from the body you belong to.
dear polka dots,
as I sit here, basking in my loneliness,
I'm sorry I've resented your company
that stains paints my face.
of course, you're lonely too.
company is life.
dear precious mountains,
if you died, I don't think I'd
recognize myself in the mirror
anymore.
the color would have drained away—
a blank sheet, a moonless, starless sky &
I would be so lonely.

you are desired by me.
some days I resent the pain of your growth.
It hurts to feel you growing,
even when my own stops & I grab my face
in frustration.
& there you are, in company,
in pairs,
in peaks,
ever-growing and protecting each other,
and creatively at that.
how could I ever have seen you as dirty,
when you're the most interesting part of me?

they say when children become adults they
lose their imagination like they lose their acne.

maybe you help me round out corners and
see life as endless company & vibrant colors—
fractals of energy & potential between each
shade of red.

I promise you,
thoroughly,
that tonight I will throw away my foundation,
and let you color me creative everyday &
P-R-O-U-D-L-Y.

if it happens to be
that one day you leave me,

the scars will remain—
fiercely reminding me of the days
you kept me company,
the days you took my pain and made it your own,
creating snow-capped mountains out of my anxiety.

my oldest & most loyal friend,
Thank you for showing me what bold resistance looks like.
I love you—