Galaxies
Location
Sometimes I stay up all night and feel my stomach
Feel the stretched skin, the scarred skin
My beautiful skin
I stay up all night and count every beauty mark as if they were stars
My body is a galaxy
Milky way
Planets orbiting
Life radiating
I am woman
From the top of my head
Trailing down my curves
Past the scars
Past the stretch marks
Pass the cellulite
All the way down to my toes
I am woman
My body is beauty
These hips, these thick thighs
What the hell is a thigh gap?
Does this body make you cringe in the gym locker room?
Undressing myself like I am a present
Eyes wide, starring
Searching for my body’s hidden secrets
I am woman
This body is a beautiful jelly filled feminist donut
It doesn’t mind getting against yours and dancing the night away
It doesn’t mind ordering a salad
Or a double-double cheeseburger with animal style fries
It doesn’t mind your glances when I wear high waisted shorts
When I wear a two-piece bathing suit
When I cover myself up so the catcalling can cease to sneak
under the surface of my skin
I am woman
I love my body
But it wasn’t always this way
My body has been hurt, beaten, bullied, cut
Shamed
My body has been shamed
Some days still burdened with insecurities
This body was a grenade
Push or pull me enough and I would have just exploded
My little universe; gone
My own personal big bang
But I didn’t want new life
I wanted life to cease to exist inside this woman body
This body was a garden
Seeds planted and flowers sprouted in my lungs and ribcage
No one could see them because I thought they were on the inside
The flowers began to seep through my pores
All they needed was a little sunlight
I cried when he told me he loved me
I cried when he said I look beautiful when I am crying
He says I am beautiful without makeup
He says I am beautiful when I am in my paint-covered Nueva
tee-shirt and sweats
He says I am beautiful when I laugh and when I snort
I am beautiful
But I knew I was beautiful before he told me
This is my body
My planets
My stars
I am the protector of this galaxy
Still exploring its new skies
This is mine
I am woman