when

my belly was flat

i did not love my body

more foe than friend

she endured my judgment with

very little backlash

i pushed her too hard

complained too frequently

told her repeatedly she was not

good

enough

for me

when

my belly was flat

i did not love my body

starving then gorging then drinking

past indulgence she’d wake

angry and hurting and pained

abused still she carried me

onward across stages and aisles

up mountains and through valleys

not once did she rebel or

complain

when

my belly was flat

I did not love my body

now my belly is round and wide

she spreads out over the girth of

my lap and jiggles when i laugh

i seem to always be laughing

she interrupts me when i

bend to tie my shoe demanding that

i linger a while longer and be

still

now my belly is

round and wide

she spreads over the girth of

my lap and jiggles when i laugh

i am almost always laughing

when my foot steps left she

sways right and when i find myself

running she takes up the challenge

daily I say

thank

you

my belly is

no longer flat perhaps

she’ll never be what she was

again who knows nearly

5 decades of living have taken

a toll that this body has paid

nearly without complaint

and today

I

Love

Her

Completely.

#thisisapoem