Reflection

• Ebony Franzmann, Grade 12
• Poetry
• 2012

Magazines and billboards bombard our lives
With cold and cruel expectations.
“Too thin. Too fat. Do this. Do that.”
Oh how I fear for this generation.

He slaves away in the gym each day
As he strives for abs of steel.
Throbbing joints corrupt his youth
But the pain? He must conceal.

She inhales deeply and maintains her smile
As her stomach roars and rumbles.
Despite the bile that burns her throat,
Her conviction will not crumble.

He downs those egg whites, she chucks hers up;
They’re both chasing ‘perfection’.
Oh how hard it is in this wicked world
To smile at your reflection.