“Today I asked my body what she needed” by Hollie Holden

Today I’m sharing a poem that as far as I can tell might only have been published as a Facebook note by Hollie Holden. But despite Facebooks many downsides, I do think that a lot of lovely things have come from that medium and this poem is certainly one of them:

Today I asked my body what she needed,
Which is a big deal
Considering my journey of
Not Really Asking That Much.

I thought she might need more water.
Or protein.
Or greens.
Or yoga.
Or supplements.
Or movement.

But as I stood in the shower
Reflecting on her stretch marks,
Her roundness where I would like flatness,
Her softness where I would like firmness,
All those conditioned wishes
That form a bundle of
Never-Quite-Right-Ness,
She whispered very gently:

Could you just love me like this?

{Hollie Holden, June 2016}