One Body

from Out With Lanterns

I need to be reminded that
I was given one body 
to look after, that I must 
tend to it like it’s a rare plant
or beloved pet. I must
feed it well, strengthen it. 
I need to be reminded as
I’ve been too long punishing, 
hating, denying, overdoing.
Or, I was born female. 
I need to be reminded how
year eleven or twelve, 
after hearing so much talk 
of bodies, of good versus bad,
desirable versus disgusting,
I divorced head from belly,
leg, crotch, foot, heart, lung. 
I need to be reminded that
the way back is like this:
Consider the seed, how it
needs water, sun, nutrients, 
how it consumes, how it
takes what it needs then 
swells before it blossoms. 

Photo by Europeana on Unsplash