Perfection
Perfection isa treasure hunt,an endless searchfor a brighter horizonand a biggertreasure chest.Perfection is aa journey,towards a miragethat dissipatesas you draw near it.Perfection isa marathonof endurance.Surely,everythingcan beimprovedif you’re willingto endure whatit takes to improve.As a womanas a Koreanas an Americanas a ChristianI have been toldthat I am toendure.I am to beabove reproach,never tiring,excellent,anddemureandgentleandmodestandhumbleandlovely and never vainsuccessful and never braggingindependent and never leadingself-sufficient and never selfishstraightandpureandthinandPerfect.I tell myself thatall this pressureis meant to turnme,a lump of coal,into a diamond.And then I learnthat you don’tget diamondsfrom coal.Besides,what good is a diamond?It has no value,no purposeon its own.(Honestly, they’re not all that rare anyway.They’re only worth what the industry claims they are).But coal,coal has a purpose.Its goal isto burnitalldown.To bring lightand heatand go outin a cascadeof sparks.So who needs diamondswhen you can be the flame?Perfection is not a treasure huntor a journeyor a marathon.It is a performance,and I am tired of playing pretend.I will not give up my fireto be pressured intoa shiny thingthat only holds as much valueas the men arounddecide to give to it.I am more.I am a universe of firecontainedin the dark.I am good.I am very good.I am good enough.
Photo by Blaque X on UnsplashAbout the Poet:Stella is a second-gen KA who lives in Southern California. She has a passing interest in most things, and a passionate interest in justice, literature, representation in media, education, food, pop culture, crafting, and all things cute. She is addicted to personality tests, but never agrees with the results.