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The Perfect Shadow

I saw my shadow dancing
As I walked home from school
I felt a pang of longing
If only I could look that good.
She was tall and slender,
In the late afternoon sun
Her hair  framed her face
Curls bouncing at every turn
Her silhouette looked so pretty
I thought with pleasure and pain
But then some clouds appeared
She disappeared in the rain.
Her face may be smooth
Without pimples and marks
Her figure well defined,
Smooth and dark
Her hair may look thick,
She doesn't need glasses to see
But I realized as the drops fell fast,
I'd much rather be me.
Not quite as tall,
Glasses from the reading
Not quite so slender,
Because of chocolates I love eating
The pimples I'd rather do without,
But there's so much else to gain,
My poor pretty dancing shadow,
Can't dance in the rain!
                                -Ananya Ravikumar
                                  October 2013
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