God’s Ugly Lovelies This gypsy peasant figure ain’t so lovely as my shadow. Long, lean, and natural, stink and stubble free, Shadow slinks in moonglow, reclines in sunshine, and submits to darkness gracefully. Meanwhile, I press for unnatural color, I press for fragrance, remove unsightly hair, style and pile my curls, and adjust lighting to achieve counterfeit loveliness, and darkness is a intended refuge. My lover was puzzled when I stopped in my tracks at a chicken bone on the subway steps. This ugly was downright intriguing. I moved on without forgetting it’s unnaturalness, planted in Grand Central, was beauty. I read Bible passages about how flowers don’t toil, their ease of existing, a natural oneness with God, etc. I s’pose my shadow’s got the same deal, God's great seal for being natural. The chicken bone and me? We're the speck in Shadow's eye. We’re God’s ugly lovelies.