Startling Poetry: Wonderfully Made

Whatever we look like on the outside, we need to be kind to ourselves.

Wonderfully Made by Khari

There are mornings when you wake up

and don’t believe you’re beautiful

I’ve seen you stare in the mirror

curse under your breath

while your insecurities stare right back at you

I’ve watched your fingers trace

the stretch marked terrain

on your stomach

watched fault lines form on your face

and listened to your voice erupt into a volcano

of complaints about the way your body looks

I’ve heard you complain

about not being happy with your hair, weight, and stretch marks

all you seem to notice are your physical flaws

and you’ve told me there are times

when you don’t believe that you’re beautiful at all

Your inner critic is a plastic surgeon

who operates a private practice inside your head

he hacks away at your self esteem daily

purposely pointing out every wrinkle

pressuring you into wanting to look perfect

He’s convinced you into believing that

you can only look youthful again

if you removed the sags and wrinkles from your skin

he’s deceived you into thinking

plastic surgery is the perfect way to become a perfect ten

But I’m here to remind you that you’re God given gorgeous

The truth is there is no fountain of youth

today is the day

you free yourself from the mental prison

of being shackled to your inner critics opinions

I wrote this poem to remind you

that I fell in love with the internal you

not the external you

so I want you to stop doubting your divinity

embrace your flaws and femininity

You’re wonderfully made

If you were to ask me what I thought about your hair?

I would tell you that your hair

reminds me of heavenly clouds

hand woven by the most high

I don’t know when you began to developed

deep rooted kinks of contempt

but I love you even when you hair is unkempt

I think every kink, curl, nap on you is naturally beautiful

your hair is part of your heritage

If you were to ask me if you looked fat or needed to lose any weight?

I would tell you that your bodacious body is a blessing

your womanly curves are not a curse

and I know you’ve gain weight since we met

but I feel in love with the inner you

so I’m not concerned with a thinner you

Your weight and shape does not define your beauty

When I first fell in love with you

I was attracted your physical frame and the shape of your behind

but throughout time

I’ve become more attracted to your frame of mind

If you were to ask me what I thought about the stretch marks on your stomach?

I would say nothing

Instead I would slowly kiss every stretch mark on your stomach

until your inner critic committed suicide

then I would tell you that those stretch marks on your stomach

are written reminders from God

I should always be thankful to you

for giving birth to our children

woman, your womb is a miracle workshop

I love everything about you

so stop allowing self doubt to diminish your confidence like a fade cream

stop allowing your inner critic to skin bleach your self esteem

Now is the time for an extreme mental makeover

time to perform a tummy tuck on negative thinking

time to stop loathing yourself

and start loving everything about yourself

You’re a real woman

every bump, roll, wrinkle scar

has molded you into becoming

the beautiful woman you are

Since the term fearfully and wonderfully made

is written in the bible

wanting to look like a woman other than yourself

is like worshipping a false idol

There are people who don’t want you

to believe you’re beautiful

body image bullies who make billions of dollars

by using the beauty industry

to try and convince beautiful women like you

that you’re flawed

Don’t allow these media images

magazine covers and music videos

push you into developing an eating disorder

stop starving yourself of self love

My beloved

you are more

than your butt, breast, hips, and thighs

those are just your body parts

the biology of your whole being is God’s work of art

There are times when I wish I could silence your inner critic

have him convicted of mental medical malpractice

for all the times that he attempted to mutilate your body image

Woman,

you’re wonderfully made

So until you realize you’re beautiful to me

I’ll continue to run my fingers through your hair

kiss your womb

and hug your hips while you stare in the mirror

everyday romantic rituals to remind you

that I love you

You don’t need any type of cosmetic surgery

to be more desirable to me

you’ve been beautiful since birth

your outward appearance doesn’t determine your internal worth

I can’t defeat your inner critic

That’s something you have to do

but I can continue to love every ounce

of your being

until you start seeing

that the best kept beauty secret

is already inside of you!

You’re wonderfully made!