"Released" by Emma Benard

Released

I would
let go
Anxiety, planning,
obsessional thoughts about my stomach,
my whole
body,
my work,
free time,
life

I would not allow these to pull me away from myself,
to control my confidence,
the words I speak or leave unspoken

I would give my body a thousand kisses
I would dance almost every moment
My body;
a piece of the sky above me
I’d move like the clouds

I would ,
somehow,
let go…

No more tension about not being good enough,
thin enough,
sick enough

There would be no more punishment or shame,
no more sickening knots of anxiety and fear in my stomach

I would treat myself as a monarch butterfly;
with love, with awe
I would believe you when you say
“You are beautiful”