Dear belly, please
    forgive me for:
girdles
corsets
attempts to be twig-thin

nourishment not taken
food crammed in

words unsaid
cries stifled
rage unspoken
rage unscreamed

joy denied
desire denied
power denied

constriction
restriction
prescription
proscription

collusion with this culture’s
breeding for non-being

I embrace you, belly.
Life fire, I salute you.

I release you
to live me, breathe me
in your own full rhythm.

© Lisa Sarasohn 2013