Love Letter to my Body

By. Allison Roach

Dear Body,

The vessel that carries my creative spirit and loving heart

I’ve spent so many showers

Sobbing over what you looked like, instead of asking you what you need

I wasted so much time

Counting each and every stretch mark

I forgot to thank them for every piece of birthday cake that I’ve enjoyed

I’ve stared at you long and hard in the mirror

Yet I feel as though I don’t know you

And for the first time, I notice how strong and healthy I look.

The definition in my thigh muscle

The way my strength is carried in my biceps

My feet, calloused and big

Have taken me to every corner of the country

I looked so long at my hands

Worried if anyone noticed them aging

That I forgot to thank them for poetry and sushi and the feeling of caressing my lover’s cheek.

I criticized my lips for being so thin

Instead of being grateful for strawberries and lip balm and reunion kisses.

This is my love letter to you

I promise to smile as often as I like

And welcome the laugh line wrinkles as they appear

I promise to eat things I like that fuel you and keep you healthy 

I promise to thank you more often than I detest you

And love my hips for being ready for babies

Even if I never have one

My tummy is not a war zone

But rather, a patch of wildflowers that I tend to

And I shall care for you like you deserve

You have carried me from place to place for a quarter century.

And everyday is a new opportunity 

To keep my promises

And share this love letter

Allison Roach is a lost, broke lgbtq+ intersectional feminist millennial living in Seattle, Washington. You can follow her on Instagram @allisonrroach. She loves her cats, her fiancé, and Disney just a little too much. She’s a self-published author and her book The Funny Thing About Forever  is available on Amazon.