A wise voice asks
A few questions of me
Ones that force me to pause
And consider thoroughly.
“Can you love your body
Through and through,
Regardless of its size,
No matter what it can do?”
My face scrunches up
At this ridiculous ask
Why would I love such a thing
That is terrible, fat?
I hate my body,
Just look at it – do.
Would you love this body
If it belonged to you?
I started to name
All the horror I see
When I look in the mirror
Wishing to be free
Of this body I’ve despised
Since I was a child
No matter what it could do
Or how hard it tried.
The voice intervened
With firmness and grace
And said, “I won’t allow
You to continue this way.
Your body is a gift
A true miracle, see?
Its been with you since birth
And loves you deeply.
Despite the horrible treatment
It endures constantly
By the person it loves most
To whom its pledged loyalty.
It has stayed by your side
No matter what you’ve been through
Even saving your life
More than a time or two.
It gives you so much
Every moment of everyday
Regardless of the abuse
You continually throw its way.”
I started to interrupt this voice
Their words couldn’t be true
How could they accuse me of abuse?
That’s preposterous, cruel.
But as I tried to form words,
No sound came to light
Because deep in my heart,
I knew they were right.
I’ve been horrible to my body,
Relentless and vile,
Never appreciating its beauty
Its strength or its style.
I could never do to others
As I have done to myself
Why have I been so cruel?
I clearly need help.
I look to this voice,
And ask with humility,
“What can I do?
How can my body ever forgive me?”
The voice grew sympathetic
As they looked at me and smiled,
“You have come to understand
What you need to do, my child.
Your body needs you now,
More than ever before,
To love and nurture it,
Straight through to the core.
And you said it yourself,
What your body needs most,
Is for you to ask it’s forgiveness,
To no longer coast.
You’ve been on autopilot
Constantly repeating the abuse
That came to you as a child
That made you feel used.
Your body is wise
And understands this fact,
But it can only take so much,
And remain in tact.
No one is blaming you,
For turning the shame inside,
When others took advantage,
And made you want to hide.
However it is time,
To stand tall and firm,
And care for your body,
To implement what you’ve learned.
Listen to your body,
It will tell you what to do,
How you can care for it,
And always be true.
Love it, no matter what,
For it has loved you,
It is a thing to behold,
A masterpiece born anew.”
Image by congerdesign from Pixabay
