Stretch Marks
A draft from my collection “Reclamation”
Rip right through me
tear my skin
leave your mark
become a scar
—
Who I used to be
forever embalmed
—
A sad young woman
encaged in her elephantine skin
—
Counting pound
after pound,
after pound
eating to drown
the sorrows
—
Watching as you multiplied
stretching longer
and longer
and longer
—
And now you’re stained
on every part,
on every bend,
You appear,
craters in my skin
and I do everything I can
to hide you away
—
Yet, he seeks you out
runs his finger tips
over lightning
stripes
—
You’ve created
on my arms
and legs,
my hips,
my dips,
my rolls,
and my folds
—
I try not to cringe and cry
when his hands
slide down
my sides
when he grazes over the rim
of my ripped skin
leaving marks of his own
—
He says he doesn’t notice
doesn’t care
doesn’t mind
—
Kisses the ridges
Caresses the edges
—
I accept his acceptance of you
because I can’t do it myself
About the Creator
Isabella Walker
I'm trying my best so if you're reading this, thank you! (Most of these pieces I will be revising and editing throughout this process, keep coming back for updated pieces!!)
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On-point and relevant
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Violence Begets
"Any last words, cowboy?" "None you'd understand, sodbuster." "Funny. That's Marshall Sodbuster to you. But I meant some last nugget that would help us in the adjudication of the myriad offenses counted against you and your gang. I wasn't asking for penitence."
By Adam Diehl3 days ago in Fiction
Comments (15)
I used to have stretched mark but now the have great lotion to heal stretched mark. Great poem, Congratulations Top Story !
This cuts so deep, Isabella. I often feel like this about myself, too. Congrats on the TS! Well deserved.
This is really gorgeously raw
Man oh man do I relate to this. You’ve perfectly described the way I felt for so long about my body after gaining weight. I’ve finally found someone who loves me for my curves and I’ve learned to accept them myself but it’s taken years. This is magnificently written and definitely worthy of Top Story. Congrats!
As a mother, I loved and felt a lot of this. I remember the first time I was made to believe stretch marks were wrong. I'm the youngest of three girls. My sister was a really stuck up thing. We were standing in line at a grocery store and she said, "eww. Look at Ashanti." And pointed out a magazine with her on the cover. I looked and saw nothing wrong. My sister went on to point out stretch marks on her thigh and say how gross it was. How even though she had a baby, she didn't even have any stretch marks and it's gross that Ashanti was just openly displaying her thighs which had them on there. I didn't see ANYTHING on the picture btw. Not a single mark. Maybe I just couldn't see them through my 11 year old eyes. But as I grew up and developed my own curves (specifically on my chest because I grew mine quite literally overnight) I started to understand what stretch marks were and started deeming myself ugly. I lived my whole teenage years in a HUGE jacket in the high desert area of California because I felt such shame. I never showed off any part of my body. Not even years later to my husband because of the shame. We have had three kids together and I still struggle with body image but he is exactly like the man you describe here. Loving on every part of me- including the scars. It's amazing how the right people love and accept us in the most beautiful ways. Great piece 👏
"I accept his acceptance of you because I can’t do it myself " this hits hard and too personal. Great work..!
This was raw and deeply moving. The honesty in your words captures both the pain and the quiet beauty of being seen beyond the scars. The ending, with acceptance through another’s love, was especially powerful.
it is worth reading!
It's so painful to know how many of us are self shaming our bodies. Your poem ripped right through me. Congratulations on your Top Story.
congratulations on your Top Story. Thank you for sharing
"I’d be happy if you check out my posts too 🌹 Just knowing you take a look and share your thoughts means a lot to me 🤍"
So raw, like a punch. Well done ☺
I love your openness about your feelings about your stretch marks and how right now your way of accepting them is through the eyes of someone who loves you. Congrats on your Top Story!
love the raw honesty, thank you so much for your candor.
🩷💙🩷💙