before

before the smile fades
into pretense
before your gestures breathe articulation
before the gentry crowns you
with unearned class and prestige
before you learn that beauty is
your biggest virtue
before your passions are tempered
by a blase stance
before you portion yourself
preciously to people of unimportance
before you ride the tails
of this world's vanity
i want to
find and dirty you alive