I stand before the changing room mirror
Unclothed, vulnerable,
Taking in the scars
Of years of abuse and neglect
That cover my recovering body:
Stretch marks not from childbearing
But from bearing nearly two hundred pounds
Of excess self
And surgery scars from procedures
Performed when my organs
Rebelled
Against the high fat, couch potato lifestyle
I was living.
I recall the days and weeks
Of careful food management
And the hours spent in the gym;
I still have a ways to go
Before I reach my goal
But already
The chronic knee and hip pain
Have disappeared
And I walk more gracefully,
More confidently,
In clothes several sizes smaller
Than when I began.
I smile as I slip a new dress over my head,
Watching it slide into place
Without a girdle or briefer,
And turn happily from side to side
To get a better view.
Improved health is a good thing,
But THIS is what it's really all about!