Wonderment – Day Nineteen of NaPoWriMo 2021

I stand in front of the mirror
Wondering how you could like what I see
But for once, I think I see it too.

I see the white lines
Climbing like ivy on a windowsill
Twisting and turning from my
Legs onto my hips.
These lines on my skin akin to the
Lines of my story
I wonder how long you will read the tale.

I push my hair out of my face
Curls that escape the clutches of clips
Curls that refuse to be tamed.
And I wonder
When you weave your fingers through my hair
Can you feel my song
Softly woven into my locks?

I can see soft curves where I desire flatness.
I trace the shapes
Wanting to love every inch of myself
But photoshopped images on magazine covers
And Instagram pictures garnering millions of likes in seconds
Had me second-guessing my beauty.

My eyes linger over my skin
A familiar collage of blotches and scars
My body is but a palette of myself.
Brown as familiar as the coffee
I drown my feelings in.
Moles like the constellations
Adorning the night sky I often lose myself in.
The scars on my chin and feet
Reminding me of carefree childhood days.

I wonder why it took me so long
To fall in love with my body
It’s a wonder to behold with
All my memories on it.
What was once a blank page
Is now bursting with stories.

Written by Shivangi Acharya for MTTN

Artwork by Shivani for MTTN