I have a birthmark on my face,
That takes up almost half of it.
Ever since I was young,
I got annoying comments and questions such as,
“Look! Her face is burned.”
“What’s up with your face?”
“Is that a burn on your face?”

I was lucky that my parents never made me feel different.
On the contrary,
They provided me with the confidence I needed to deal with the bullying I was subjected to.
They taught me to be understanding and tolerant.
The weird thing is,
I only started feeling less confident,
And unhappy with how I looked,
When I got older.
It happened when I realized,
That people in our society are judged by how they look,
Not by who they are on the inside.
When I understood that personality and intellect mean nothing,
When you don’t abide by their standards of beauty.
I even found out that the person I was in love with,
Wished I didn’t have a birthmark on my face.

The slightest remark or comment about my face now gets to me.
Even if it’s coming from an innocent child,
Who’s just curious.
I see myself through their eyes now,
And I don’t accept what I see.

I wish I could go out without makeup,
Or stop feeling ashamed whenever I look into the mirror.
I wish I could stop feeling sad about something I had no say in;
Something I could never change.

I find it hard to ignore people.
I don’t know how or if I could ever heal.
I don’t know if I’ll ever get my self-confidence back.
Or if I’ll ever be happy with how I look again.