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You stand on the cusp of life,
With all of your power,
beauty, and confidence in your hands,
And then you somehow trade it for—

A ring
A big party
A new extended family
A new home
Pregnancy
(Which wrecks your beautiful body, leaving you with scars, crepey skin and bulging veins—
Oh—and incontinence when you sneeze.)

Your new children scream for you in the night
And you offer yourself as a dream to feed them and calm them
Draining your life slowly but insidiously.

No one comes to rescue you.

You plod through the days, wiping butts and noses and mediating fights
and keeping everyone fed.

Days bleed into years

Suddenly, when you are brushing your teeth idly
You look in the mirror and realize
The light in your eyes is gone
Replaced with a weary exhaustion
A dedication to keep going, to keep it together
Because You’re The One
Who Does It All.

Everything gets done,
But when others pass you on the street, you are not really there.
Your beauty is gone,
Your vitality drained,
No one sees you anymore.

I can barely remember
Who I used to be.

Well, I am NOT what everyone thinks they know.
They know NOTHING.

Anonymous Poster

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