All the reasons I love my body

🌻

I just wanted you to call me pretty,

I thought I needed to be skinny.

I’d be happy if I just stopped eating,

but that happiness was only fleeting.

I wanted my hipbones to show,

I wanted my boobs to grow.

I wanted a toned waist,

Would that craft me to your taste?

I starved myself for days,

Just to satisfy your gaze.

I watched myself fade away,

Consumed instead by what I weigh.

I destroyed my body, for what?

It was time to mark that chapter shut.

I don’t fear my body anymore,

I show my negative thoughts the door.

I'm sorry I didn't appreciate you before,

But I will treat you kindly evermore.

I should have taken care of you better,

So now I'm writing you a love letter.

I love the dimples on your thighs,

I love the laughter lines by your eyes.

I love every mole dotted on your skin,

I love the childhood scar documented on your shin.

I love your thighs that meet in the middle,

I love the cellulite that cause a ripple.

I love your cheeks that hurt after laughing too much,

I love the goosebumps that spark from your lovers touch.

I love your tummy that spills over when your jeans are too tight,

I love your brown eyes that dance in the sunlight.

I love the ringlets you tried to straighten when you were young,

I love the rise and fall of each breath from your lungs.

I love the mole that looks like chocolate on your wrist,

I love your heart shaped forehead that likes to be kissed.

I love the tears you cry when you feel so many emotions,

I love your tattoo that reminds you of the ocean.

I love your arms you deemed weren't firm enough,

I love your waist that carries a little extra fluff.

I love your voice that can sing at the top of your voice for hours at a time,

I love your mind that moved mountains and helped you climb.

I love your rolls that touch your knees when you bend down,

I love your shape when you're dressed in sweats or a ballgown.

I love your stretch marks that look like art,

I love all the emotions you feel in your heart.

I love your bloated stomach after too much cake,

I love your bed hair when you first wake.

I love your nose that you inherited from your mum's side,

I love your opinions that you always used to hide.

I love you for fighting for my life each day,

I love you no matter what you weigh.

I love you for carrying me after I neglected you,

I love you for helping me pull through.

I love you for letting me feel the sand between my toes,

I love you for giving me strength throughout the lows.

I love you for letting me hold my lovers face in my hands,

I love you for giving me adventures and future plans.

I love you for letting me enjoy each flower as a I pass,

I love you for letting me smell freshly cut grass.

I love you for one day letting me love and raise a child,

I love you for letting my soul roam free and wild.

I love you for letting me witness beauty and happiness,

I love every part of you when you undress.

I love you for letting me dance around the room,

I love you for helping me regrow and re-bloom.

I love you for letting me walk through forests and swim through lakes,

I love your forgiveness for my mistakes.

I love you for being my friend and soulmate,

My worth will no longer be determined by my weight.

I built a home amidst the ruin,

I shattered my own illusion.

I watered the flowers inside of me,

I grew new petals, can you see?

I got a tattoo of the sea,

So, I’d remember I was free.

I didn’t need to be pretty and thin,

All I needed was love from within.

🌷

---

Emmanuelle.