2021-2022, Poem

Never Me

Featured in the 2021 Winter Issue of Rambunctious

Never Me
Nessy Sobey, '25

Most days I don’t feel pretty.
Until that one day comes along—
I don’t see my insecurities
big forehead,
chubby cheeks,
wide ribcage,
stomach fat.
I finally convince myself that I’m pretty;
Until I open my phone to capture this moment
I see the most beautiful girls who are my age,
even though they don’t look anything like a 14 year old
Why do these girls get to be pretty and not me?

I see them everywhere
Boys attention only goes to them,
Everybody likes them
They get everything.
People say pretty privilege isn’t a thing
But I witness it every day of my life.

Now I know why I never feel pretty.
I never get attention from people
I’m invisible to the teenage boy eye.
They would never look at me like they look at them.
Now I know why I never feel pretty.
What I would do to be one of those girls.