Risen

A young girl with thick brown hair, a worn denim jacket and frayed insecurities walks in to the clouds of purple perfume, the shimmer, the rhinestones, "how does this cover anything" and the "discover our new dreamy sexy angel collection," on the banner in the window she sees blonde hair curled to perfection, pink lace on tanned skin and red letters that say "love me: valentines day 2015." I watch her smooth her stray hair and try to pretend the neon pink striped bag hides her new secret things but baby, Victoria doesn't have any secrets anymore.

This is Valentine's day 2015, and Victoria's angels have taught me the following things about romance:

1. Buy the laciest, silkiest lingerie that you can find - because we all know that every guy in the throes of passion is likely to stop you and say "excuse me, your bra just isn't sparkly enough honey..."

2. Shave. everything. 

Um, excuse me - we don't expect them to resemble a hairless sea lion after 10pm on the weekends...

3. Candlelight. Lots of candlelight. 

...because nothing is hotter when you are trying to "light his fire" than, um, accidentally lighting an actual fire when you knock the candles over on the bed sheets...

4. Buy the biggest thickest adds-two-cup-sizes push-up bra that you can find. 

 Because nothing says sexy like the moment when - SURPRISE - he realizes it was all an illusion in the first place...


5. My body is a mannequin to make him "love me" so dress me up and shave me down and perch me in a mall window because that's were angels live
worship them 
Honey, heaven is only what people reach for
So perch me, dress me, love me, tell me that desire is the same as love
and that romance has no room for stray hairs or awkward moments...
Victoria, if those are angels then when did the rest of us fall.

To the girl in the denim jacket, there probably won't be candlelight.
When you dramatically lift that sleek little dress over your head the straps will probably get caught on your earrings.
You'll probably get tangled in your own hair and be wearing the cotton underwear you got at target for the days everything else was in the laundry but hey, here you are now
And he'll probably...say that your beautiful.
You won't worry
About whether or not your skin is smooth enough or soft enough
Because angels are smooth but humans have dents
And bumps 
and hairs 
and curves 
and points 
And unsightly pieces, these are your sacred things that you will never have wanted to share this much 
You will both laugh at your awkward moments and at the way your thick brown hair is always in the wrong place at the wrong time
You will want to know his every dent and curve deeply
and see all the things you never noticed when you looked at human skin 
so let yourself notice them.
Fallen angel,
Risen woman, tell him:
these stray hairs and scars on my body are monuments, marking all the moments I grew 
into the human being,
here and now, 
to fall 
for you.