Skin.

Skin is malleable
It can bruise, stretch, bleed
It is a home that we work to keep clean
We wear our insecurities for the world to see
Bear our scars
From times less fortunate than these
Cuts and scrapes appear on our elbows and knees
Times when we fell
When we faltered
Or we crawled
Revealing the truth of the battles we have lost
With ourselves
And those blessed souls
Who happen to wear their stretchmarks
With brazen defiance
Who play and laugh and dance
In the face
Of those who might make them feel less than
Are just as beautiful
As those who cover themselves in cotton
Their confidence or lack thereof is not an indicator of their beauty
Rather it is the acknowledgment that there is work still to do
Room still to grow into
And perhaps more beautiful are they
For they know the pain in the reflection in the mirror
And yet they still wake up
And strive to look at themselves and say, "I am beautiful."
Despite flaw or some perceived shortcoming
They never stop evolving
Sometimes we can be so mean
To ourselves
We can convince ourselves of things
That will tear us apart from the inside
That will ask us to hide
Ourselves in dark rooms
To shy away from our reflections
But our imperfections
Are our uniqueness
And it is not weakness
That drives our eyes from the mirror
It is fear
Of not living up to some standard that others have set
But when I lay naked in your bed
I feel more beautiful in your eyes
Than ever before
Changing your mind
Doesn't happen overnight
I know...
I can only offer to show you day in and day out
With my imperfect skin on your skin
Beneath the touch of my hands
That I will stand
In awe of your beauty
Of every insecurity
And do my best to quiet them so you can hear me
When I remind you that you are the most gorgeous woman I've ever seen
Even when it is not enough
Even though I know you are tough
And can do the work on your own
I will never stop reminding you that you are not alone
Until you feel at home
In the skin
You were meant to be in.