Goddess Body
I’m 42 and suddenly single
after 22 years with one man
I stand naked
in front of my full length
bathroom mirror
body of a goddess —
a fertility goddess
The next person who sees these curves
these stretchmarks
these breasts uneven from babies
who all preferred the right side
to the left
won’t be the father of those children
the man expected to love those imperfections
because they were made by what we created
together
The next person to touch this body
to love this body
will have to love the damage
caused by someone else
If the one who had this body perfect at 20 —
If the one who held my head as this body birthed
his babies —
If he couldn’t love it
in its perfection
who could love it now?
First Publication rights to Lothlorien Poetry Journal
Find more poetry by Jodie Baeyens at My Life in Coffee Spoons