NapOwrimo. Day 7: Belly

There’s many parts to this

but let’s talk about the thing everyone sees

not the intestines hiding safely

but the exposed skin that pops out the seams

you can’t hide behind big jeans this summer or big tees. You can but you won’t. You won’t lose 30 pounds in the next 6 weeks.

nope.

This summer you’re gonna love every inch of me. You’re gonna wear the clothes you thought you wouldn’t look cute in.

my belly. The one that hangs out the sides

Moves like water

is bed to my 3 kitty cats at dawn

they call them “chichos” where I’m from.

the thing I do 200 crunches every night to lose but goes nowhere cause

i like my donuts and I like to work my belly too

why can’t I do both?
why I gotta be a museum

why I gotta be a six pack

an Aphrodite of perfection

an adonis

god made me for greater things

they say the gut flora is life

well my gut is working just fine

i feel good

I feel alive

why I can’t just be a cute belly looking mamasita

an old ex once said

“The spare tire around your waist”

yup. She was definitely a blunt and careless Sagittarius.

will never date another Sagittarius.
anyway.

This belly is love. Just call me Bronx Buddha

my lover loves this belly

I once cringed when she would extend her arms around me at night and my love handles would try to squeeze back into me with one big inhale but NO. I let her hands nestle there. Warm and round and full of love.
she even rubbed cocoa butter on this belly and kissed the stretchmarks like they were a constellation mapping out the way home.

now I let that belly hang.
I never need to be around anyone that asks me to suck it in.

and never let myself say that to myself either.

I feel safe with this belly.
it’s been too many summers of not loving me

and my belly

of not wearing tank tops or bikinis at the beach

of buying clothes 2x bigger than me

just to pretend you don’t come home with me every night.
I love you belly.

Remember last summer when we skinny dipped in the river. Letting that belly button see the light of day.
Me and this belly
the ones that really love me.
Love me

all parts of me

belly included