Not perfection
So many scars to hide
So many stories untold
The pretense of it all
The burden of the barely honest
Disassembled to hideaway
Drifting as a castaway
Labelled and classified
Not the perfect life behind glass
Leaving the neat packaging to decompose
Exposed mess of birth, growth and wisdom
Rough roads, scrapped knees
Burnt and blistered vanity
And the glorious comfort in worn souls
No applause please
Just self-satisfaction
I stood, I fell, I stood again
Then I walked free
-Camille Delaquise
This poem appears in Behind the Facade, Camille’s debut contemporary poetry collection. Not perfection speaks to the dignity of an unvarnished life — honouring the scars, failures and hard-won wisdom that make authenticity more powerful than any polished illusion.
This poem is available as a contemporary poetry print on textured recycled card.