BODY Image Poem: MY BODY IS AN EARTH, by Hilary Broman

If I could press my lips to the corners of my eyes
and kiss the lines that laughter made, I would.

I’d stretch my skin three times over to make
space for the marks that love made.

I’d plant gardens in the grooves that gravity gave,
and water every inch of my wild with tears I’ve cried.

I’d set my sun and rise my moon over the horizon
of my hips. Gently colliding my shore and my tide.

I’d keep my belly soft and sweet.
I’d open my lungs and give them more air.

I’d give my hair wings to fly away when invited by the wind.
I’d throw my head back as often as I could.

I’d reverse every mirror so I could see the beauty in myself
that others do.

I’d wrap my arms around as many lovers as this
lifetime grants me.

In every weightless moment,
I wouldn’t hesitate to soar.
In every embrace,
I wouldn’t hesitate to stay.

When others think of me,
I hope they think of the size of my heart
and not the size of my waist
or the weight of my bones.
My body is an earth stretching across
this soul
and if I could give my whole life
just to learn how to love it,
I would.