I am my body

I am my body, and my body is me

I am the muscles and tendons and ligaments

I am the fat and the love handles and the stretch marks

I am the hair on my skin and the air in my lungs

I am the impossible, and yet, I *am* nonetheless

In many ways I am like the mighty oak

I am both the trunk and the branches

And although I may not like the way I contort my limbs to reach the sun

I must understand that growth is life

To grow is to live

Is to love

Is to be

And what bigger waste than to resent being

In my branches a bird nests, grateful for the perfect perch I provide her

And she whispers “thank you”

And far below, on the forest floor, a squirell takes a break in the shade I cast him

And he whispers “thank you”

I am my body, but I am so much more

I am the people I’ve loved and the places I’ve been

I am the times I’ve laughed so hard I thought I’d die

and I am the times I’ve cried so hard I thought I’d never laugh again

I am a vessel for living, for loving, for being, and that is more than enough