Swathe in snug, towel folds
Shielding my gaze from reflection
Slathering silk lotion
Over cream hills and dales and olds
Close my eyes, call to mind
Smoothness, tautness, band-snapping skin
Jutting bones, xylophones
Sans purple crosses marring shin
Memories, baths before
Lost youthful body bathes no more
Gravity, beseech me
Birthing badges bring no honor
Stand up tall, suck in core
Scrutinize dimpled, bobbling thighs
Yielding, embrace contours
Impressionist ageless allure
Releasing the wrapping
Flashing into his yearning arms
- Theresa Milstein
Real beauty is timeless, regardless of what happens to the body. Very nice, Theresa.
ReplyDeleteAlex, it's nice to hear a guy say that. Many women agonize.
DeleteHi, Theresa, thanks for stopping by my blog. I was surprised to find you have only been delving into poetry since last spring. The above is very evocative. It has the "impressionistic" feel of the painting above.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth, thank you. I reworked the poem so many times. I'm still not completely happy with it, but it's close.
DeleteLoved this Theresa - there's such great tension in the images and phrases used in the description of what 'used to be' 'the tautness, band-snapping skin, jutting bones, xylophones/sans purple crosses marring shin - great energy, and zest, (and almost a violence?)... really emjoyed this, and that last couplet, brings such release:)
ReplyDeleteWords A Day/Niamh, thank you very much. The second stanza is my favorite. The other ones feel a little tortured.
DeleteI agree with Words A Day, beautiful images and phrases. I love the alliteration in the lines and internal rhyme in the third line in the second stanza. Like your stories, your poetry is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I love your new look [hair and such]. Good luck with all you do. You are very talented.
Victoria, thanks for all these compliments! I've been enjoying experimenting with poetry. As for my picture, I have to thank my sister. She did the makeup and took the photos.
DeleteSo lovely, and it rings completely true. Wonderful imagery~
ReplyDeleteShelly, thanks. We women are so hard on ourselves/our bodies.
DeleteThis is a very pleasant post and a great way to begin the day. Thanks
ReplyDeleteThanks, Stephen. I like your new blog. I shared the info on Twitter.
DeleteLove her reality! Jutting bones, xylophones! She's perfect now!!
ReplyDeleteLyn, she misses those jutting bones and xylophones!
DeleteHow wonderful that no matter what time or pregnancies do to her body, his yearning arms were waiting!
ReplyDeleteRobyn, I agree. She's lucky.
DeleteIs this the poem you've been working so hard on? It's lovely.
ReplyDeletemshatch, yes, it is the poem. Thanks!
ReplyDeletei really liked this one, Theresa. "Cream hills and dales. . ."Flashing into his yearning arms." Lovely.
ReplyDeleteC Lee, thank you very much!
DeleteWe do tend to be so critical before the mirror in the shower. But glad he doesn't mind what we see...
ReplyDeleteBook Dilettante, yes, it's my most critical time. It's important to remember that we are the hardest on ourselves.
DeleteGorgeous, Theresa. The attempt to hold on to what was, "Stand up tall, suck in core." and the then acceptance, "Yielding, embrace contours Impressionist ageless allure," is so poignant, dare I say relatable? The ending is lovely.
ReplyDelete~VR Barkowski
VR, thanks for noticing what I was trying to do there. I worked on that "Stand up" stanza more than any other.
ReplyDeleteIt isn't as much fun looking in the mirror as the youthful body yields to time. But all we have to do is close our eyes to call it up. But what about when memory fades? Ohhh, it's so sad this thing called life.
ReplyDeleteYvonne, I know. We grow up, we peak, we decline, we die. Let's hope we have a lot of fun and love in between.
DeleteAge is a brutal thing.
ReplyDeleteTheresa, I have to say after reading this poem: you are WAY too hard on yourself when it comes to your writing. This poem is gorgeous! The beauty of your words is an underlying theme itself to the message in your poem. I am beyond impressed!
Susan, it is. I remind myself gravity will only pull this stuff down more, so I've got to appreciate what I've got now. Thank you so much for your kind words. They mean a lot.
DeleteBeautiful poem and a reminder to live every day to the fullest.
ReplyDeleteMichael, thank you. Yes, if we get stuck on the past, we don't live in the present.
DeleteGreat poem, and it's definitely something I can relate to right now. On my thirty-second birthday I looked in the mirror, and even though I didn't look THAT much older, at the same time the small signs that I was aging didn't seem so small; they were magnified. So reading your poem made me think that I'm not the only one who develops a stronger awareness of her body as she gets older; it made me feel better. :)
ReplyDeleteNeurotic Workaholic, it's nice to know so many people relate to my poem, but at the same time it's sad. Maybe we'd be happier if we could appreciate the beauty in ourselves.
DeleteFantastic imagery and details. So true, but we can still find comfort in who we are and the changes we go through.
ReplyDeleteMedeia, thank you. I'm looking for that comfort.
DeleteThis was beautifully written and it's something I think we all grapple with as we age. But you know beauty transcends beyond the skin exterior. Real beauty lies within!
ReplyDeleteKatherine, that's true. And I think confidence goes a long way when it comes to attractiveness.
DeleteYou saw and felt all I did in this piece, and more! I love the affirmation at the end of having yearning arms waiting. I swear this painting would be a great writing prompt at a women's retreat. Can you imagine the conversations it would spark? (Actually, I guess that is what is happening here in the blogosphere....)
ReplyDeleteLydia, I think this prompt would work well at a writing retreat. I was struck over how many of the writers who used this prompt made it about seduction and beauty. The painting is beautiful, but she's large by today's standards of beauty. So we know what females go through when we don't feel we measure up. Outsiders see her as beautiful, but I hear her internal monologue.
DeleteYour poem has exactly the same tone as the painting and fully captures the emotions we all feel remembering what once was. I love the ending!
ReplyDeleteCarol, thank you. The ending is what's important in the end, right?
Deletei think there is beauty at all ages...i think sometimes we just have to learn to look at them a bit differently and learn how to tell the story of where the body has been and what it has produced...
ReplyDeleteBrian, that's a wonderful way of describing the human body.
DeleteThis is beautiful, Theresa! The imagery, the flow... just beautiful. I'd expect to find poetry like this in an anthology like "When I'm an Old Woman, I Shall Wear Purple." Nice :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Teresa. Maybe I'll find another home for this piece someday.
ReplyDeleteI love this line ~~ 'birthing badges bring no honor' .... so true, so true. Lovely write!!! Thanks for visiting my blog.
ReplyDeleteHelen, thanks. Yes, those aren't the best badges to collect, are they?
Deletewow, Theresa, you have such a wonderful talent for poetry
ReplyDeleteLynda, thank you for the compliment.
DeleteGorgeous Theresa!! I am loving the sensual ssssssssssssssssssss throughout this poem!! Yay!! Take care
ReplyDeletex
Old Kitty, sssssssso many wordssssss sssssstart with sssssssssss.
Deletelove the ageless allure....true love is non-judgemental and only sees the positive
ReplyDeleteKathe W, that's a nice way to put it.
DeleteLoved this piece on the most coverted human form!
ReplyDeleteNas, thank you!
DeleteBirthing badges is my new favorite phrase. Loved the poem.
ReplyDeletesexy and subtle. Love this poem, theresa!!!
ReplyDeleteNutschell
www.thewritingnut.com
Thanks, Nutschell!
ReplyDeleteYou are good! Love the imagery and the emotions you so easily pull from us. Lovely!
ReplyDeleteJemi, your comment gives me a boost. Thank you!
DeleteLove that 'impressionist ageless allure' line!
ReplyDeleteDeniz, thank you. I think that was my last change to the poem. Then I knew it was done!
DeleteLove this Theresa, especially the birthday bandage part. I so admire that you can write poetry. It shows how very talented you are.
ReplyDeleteNatalie, thank you. Anyone can write poetry. Whether it's good or not is another thing, and I'm hardly qualified to judge!
DeleteNice! I love it, especially the scrutinizing of the dimpled bobbling thighs. I do this often. :) Sometimes I even say really bad things to those thighs. TRAITORS! Personally, I am very fortunate to have a husband who thinks we should all have bodies like the Mona Lisa. I hope he really means that cause I think its too late to turn back now.
ReplyDeleteT C Mckee, thank you. I say some pretty mean things to my body parts. Poor things are just trying to keep me going. Yeah, I hope my husband means his compliments too. He's stuck with me!
DeleteBeautiful! Gravity, beseech me... and "Impressionist ageless allure"
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, Margo.
DeleteGravity can be so unkind, and I found how you ended the mourning of youth so beautifully.
ReplyDeleteThanks, M Pax. I'm glad she found some acceptance.
ReplyDeleteI love how you expressed something that so many women experience so beautifully.
ReplyDeleteMissed Periods, thank you very much.
DeleteHi Theresa .. what a magnificent poem and love to the female body - the photo is such a good fit .. then the gentle move into a lover's arms .. just so right ...
ReplyDeleteCongratulations and I loved it - cheers Hilary
Hilary, thank you. That's what I was trying to accomplish.
DeletePerfect photo and wonderful words, Theresa!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Talli!
ReplyDeleteLovely! Take care, Theresa.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Victoria.
Delete