Superficial Feast

 Self medicating, numbing to bury

Into the mental graveyard of real feelings

Emotions beneath the surface

Tombstones spell out reasons

Can I turn this burial ground into a garden?

Dig up the pain, prepare for healing

Sober entry into a brighter personal season 

Got used to letting go like autumn, living recluse

Been mentally stuck in winter, eager for spring to bloom

Frozen by hidden emotions, internally bruised

Cracked shell of a human, they resurface, I can’t move

Unknowingly planted new roots in open wounds 

(Oops)

Over worked to afford solutions for my inner issues 

Substances and materialistic items served as substitutes 

Helped mask feelings and avoid facing harsh truths

Least emotional risk, I did the math

Value things that can’t hurt me, like people can

Seemed common sense, love won’t pay the mortgage

And there’s zero calories in a Chanel bag

But that also means there’s no sustenance

So much for the artificial bandages

Culture’s standards are forever changing

And trends become outdated

Happiness isn’t found through societal validation

Underneath the makeup and jewels,

Our body’s use is to shelter our soul

Neglected to make the interior feel like home

Internal battles can’t be won alone,

I found my solution that brought me back home

Only His presence makes me whole

Lost deeply in shallow thoughts

Naked vulnerability of a nocturnal heart 

Witness how stars illuminate the dark

~ Carly Reed

 Vanity encompasses things we pursue that won't last beyond this Earth

While we may admire one’s physical aspects or fancy assets, we may learn

Admirable body imagery in reverse,

How to illuminate from within

Scripture being the prescription

Taught me the truth about body image

Superficial feasting left my soul still hungry

Luke says “You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money”

Peter teaches against overemphasis on outward appearance;

Beauty comes from within, it’s a person’s spirit

James reminds us physical looks eventually fade

Like a flower, ends up withering away

Matthew warns about storing valuables here on Earth

Where moths eat, rusting and theft occurs

Romans tells us our body is a living sacrifice

And instructs us to be transformed by a renewing of the mind

Instead of conforming to the world, for it can blind

Human eyes

Impurities fill me inside

I’ll work to improve but no longer do I deny

Perfectly imperfect, individual uniqueness 

Starting with raw acceptance,

I am forever a work in progress

~ Carly Reed