Sonnet 130

My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips' red ;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damask, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare

Yes yes yes you know this one. Everyone does. There's a reason. It's good. Also Shakespeare.

So in English last year, we read this poem after reading another more flattering one. Afterwards our teacher asked the girls if they would be flattered if they were the subject of this sonnet. I raised my hand, but no one else did. I was asked to explain myself, and I honestly did a crap job. I'm going to redeem myself to the about one person who actually reads this.

Here goes.

The sonnet, physically, is unflattering. Not gonna lie. But in all honesty, my eye ISN'T anything like the sun, my lips aren't redredredredred and neither are my cheeks, I am neither the pale standard of back then nor the ubertan that's popular now, perfume probably smells better tham my breath as I don't eat roses all the time, music sounds better than my voice, and yeah, when I walk, I walk ON THE FRIGGIN' GROUND. Heavily sometimes. This one is honest. I am not perfect, nor is Shakespeare's mistress, nor is ANYONE ELSE IN THE WORLD EVER.

The honesty here is key. He realizes that she's not perfect, and he'll say it, too, but that's entirely beside the fact that HE LOVES HER. He loves her and her imperfections. She to him is not an idol but a person. One whom he loves.

Nobody's perfect. People need to realize this. Imperfections are what make people people. I, for one, would like to be a person, not an idol. And that's why this sonnet would flatter me.

~Niki
(sorry if this doesn't make sense it's lateearly)