Poetry

Perfection (Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, First Pregnancy, Poetry, Pregnant, Submissions 8 Comments

When He Smiles

The world is such a cruel and unforgiving place
Images of flawlessness strewn through every aspect of life
The norm has an unobtainable and impossible face,
Making me wonder if I’ll ever measure up

Then I look into the beautiful eyes of the angel on my hip
I remember what life is about, and forget about unrealistic expectations
An undeniable love shines through the grin on his lips
I am beautiful when he smiles

Everything is perfect and I couldn’t ask for more
Until I trip again and fall into a dark sea of why’s
His innocence and beauty remind me what I’m living for
His laughter is the soundtrack to my life

This little piece of perfection looks at me with a love so real
He loves me unconditionally, to him I am perfection
It is a love of such incredible force and wonder that my heart feels
I am stronger when he smiles

I am a woman, a real woman, not from a magazine
Flawless doesn’t fit into the description of my life
But perfection sounds just right for what I have been given
My heart is full that’s all I could ever ask for

Battle scared and branded by the marks of motherhood I stand tall
Is perfection a beautiful body? Societies ideal?
Or does perfection have anything to do with appearance at all?
I am perfect when he smiles

For my angel, Noah, mommy loves you so much<3





When he smiles (Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, First Pregnancy, Poetry, Postpartum, Pregnant, Submissions, Update 22 Comments

I want to lie and say that I am comfortable with my body.
I want to say that I don’t give it a second thought.
The truth though…
The truth is that I think about it often.

I can be honest and say I think about it less now than I ever have.
This website helps.
Trying to maintain a healthy outlook helps.
Knowing, now that I have a son who has rocked my world, that love for a child…your own child…kicks all other types of love in the ass.

The emotion I feel when I look at my son conquers all.
If you are a mother, you know that.

You know that you would jump in front of ten speeding locomotives for your child.
You know that you would sacrifice all for your child.
You know that watching every first, step, bite and word is better than…well…is better than anything for which we have words.

I know that I am “lucky”.
I didn’t get stretch-marks (well, not many)
My body handled pregnancy well.
I carried small.

But, in reading what I have written, that “luck” seems trite and selfish and trivial.
It.
Does.
Not.
Matter.

What matters is growth and adaptation and health and happiness and love and memories.

Juicy watermelon running down my son’s chin.
Laughter as he splashes through a puddle.
His assuredness as he navigates his first steps.
That sweet smell of his milky breath first thing in the morning.

When he smiles.
When he smiles.
When he smiles.

I want to lie and say that I am comfortable with my body.
I want to say that I don’t give it a second thought.
The truth though…
The truth is that I think about it often.






Updated here.

Coping With Body Changes at 18 (Anonymous)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, First Pregnancy, Poetry, Postpartum, Submissions, Teen Mom 32 Comments

I am an 18 year old mommy of a beautiful baby girl. I got pregnant when I was 17 and weighed about 140 pounds. I didn’t really gain any weight until right at the end and gained a total of 35 pounds. I always thought that it would be easy for me to get back to my pre-pregnancy shape after Zoey was born because I have always had such a fast metabolism, but she is now 6 months old and I weigh about 168. It’s really hard for me knowing that there are so many gorgeous girls out there that are my age and have great bodies. Thankfully, I have my husband, the father of my baby, here by my side. He is always trying to make me feel better about my body, but it is just so hard, when for 17 years, I’m used to something completely different. Reading all your stories on this website has helped me realize that even though I look way different than I did before, I have something more special than any of those “other girls” do…a beautiful, happy family. It’s also helped me realize that I am not some kind of weirdo for having stretch marks and extra skin. It is a part of life, and everyday I try to remember that I am beautiful, whether it shows on the outside or not. I just want to thank everyone for sharing because it has given me the confidence to do the same…The first couple of pictures show the stretch marks I have on my hips and breasts and I also have some on my back as you can see in the other picture. It doesn’t look like much but I have a ton of marks on my thighs that I didn’t include pictures of. Also I just would like to include a poem I wrote about a month and a half ago. It’s entitled, I am ME.

I am ME
I may not be the most beautiful woman on the outside,
but I try to be on the inside.
I may not have the slimmest tummy,
the perfect breasts,
the most toned legs,
or the greatest butt,
but I do have a BIG heart.
I may not wear the most fashionable clothes or even the best fitting clothes for that matter,
and I may not have the most gorgeous hair,
but I am beautiful when I wear my daughter on my hip.
I may have stretch marks, fat and extra skin,
but these are my battle scars.
They show my strength, my courage, and my faith.
Without them I would be nothing compared to what I am today.
I am ME.








Mother’s Mark

Bonnie (SOAM) No Photos (Story Only), Poetry, Question 1 Comment

This was posted over at our group at Flickr and I wanted to share it here. If anyone has any answers to her question at the end, you can either e-mail her or post comments here or at Flickr. I’m sure many women would benefit from these answers and I will compile them all into an entry here. Thanks!

The skin, the shame, scars left resulting,
birth, pain, euphoric and deeply in love.
No more with my vessel, my shell.
Hiding inside, afraid of being seen,
the skin, the scars, the shame,

NO MORE!

My original poem did not end with NO MORE! It is how i feel. I am tired of being ashamed. I am tired of feeling like some sort of reject because my body has been what society sees as deformed after giving birth. I am tired of getting depressed every time i see a woman who is a mother whose body didnt give her this mark i feel branded
with. Why me? why not them?

A very dear friend who knows of my struggle to accept gave me the link to this website and I am glad to see that there are women who struggle too. It seems that many of you have been able to overcome your shame and move on. I have been trying for 20 years to no avail.

Over the years I have tried many different ways to be able to accept the changes in my body and nothing has worked. Perhaps those of you who have managed to embrace the marks of motherhood could help me by letting me know how you did it? lmasseur@yahoo.com