Wednesday, October 8, 2014

If I were 5

In a world of my
own making, I 
stand before the mirror mesmerized

Me: age 5
transfixed by my own face
and blissfully ignorant

of my bloated belly, shaking 
narrow, boyish hips 
that will one day become 

the fabulous curves
I'm ashamed to flaunt, the
foundation of a

woman's body I can't seem
to face in
the mirror, trapped in a

world of my own making

---

20 comments:

  1. Kimiko, fascinating to think about how we view our bodies in the mirror as we go from age to age. Some images we are happy with, some surprise us, but hopefully eventually we adjust to all of who we are.

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  2. You are right, Kimiko. At age 5 we are oblivious of so many things related to our bodies. It took me a few decades to come to terms with some aspects of mine.

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    1. I'm hoping it doesn't take me another decade to feel better about mine. :-/

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  3. Body image - real or imagined - so discouraging to many. "trapped in a world of my own making" just about sums it up!

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    1. Hard to know the difference between real and imagined sometimes. Because ... what is real? ;-)

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  4. trapped in a world of my own making...arent we all...in some way...be it our beliefs about body type, or our selves and our abilities....

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    1. True. We create our own walls in so many areas of our life.

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  5. 'trapped in a world of my own making' so difficult to get out of it..

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  6. I like the time wrap from the past full of innocence to the present full of anxiety and despair ~ Good one ~

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  7. Coming to terms with my own body seems to be a lifelong things--as it is always changing!

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    1. Haha. True! Thoughts change and body is always changing too. I forget about that part.

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  8. We can so be in bondage to ourselves in our own mirror. I can relate to this Kimiko very much.

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    1. So glad, Carrie! Well ... not glad. I'd hate to be glad about a common misery; it's sad that so many women deal with this. But glad that it resonated. ;-)

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  9. I relate to this self-imposed misery. Still, it brought out something beautiful -- which, I suppose, is the job of swans like you and me. Loved this, Moskowitz

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    1. I rarely feel like a swan, Mosk. But love the sentiment. That self-imposed misery is such a jerk.

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  10. I love the way you open up the wonder of life and the power of hope. Well done.

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  11. This is a very introspective and contemplative poem, Kimiko. It really does make the reader stop and wonder with you...

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