Today I make a promise
To love myself with the light on
When I fail to see the beauty in my body

When I poke and squeeze and grab at my imperfections
I will use gentle hands to embrace my body
Securely holding my most precious gift

And when I fall short, my love deteriorating
My mind drowning in sorrow
Planting poisonous thoughts
Gruesome, self-loathing words
That seep in between the cracks in myself that I feebly hold together
When I neglect my body
Because I have the audacity to pretend
That I can love the swell of my stomach
the plump of my thighs

Times like this, when I see nothing but flaws
I will sit in solitude
Asking myself "Who am I"
And those answers will look past all superficial matters
Remembering that I am more than a body
I am a soul

I am a soul that laughs far too often
And thrives off spontaneous acts
One who fancies rainy mornings in coffee shops
Who can lose herself in a book for hours upon hours
One who yearns to fall in love with every corner of the world
And one who walks through book stores, tracing her fingers on every binding

So when I contemplate my image
I will remind myself of the beauty in my sleepy eyes
Discover the worth in my curves
Realize that my scars show my strength at my weakest moments
Pretend that my freckles are kisses left my those watching over me
Revel at how my veins glisten dark blue against the pale of my skin
And how they come together to form a heart on the front of my right hand
Because I'd like to believe that it is a reminder that my body loves me.
Every cell in my body fights for me

Today I make a promise
To find peace within my mind
That I will find beauty regardless of my size

Today I make a promise.
When I say that I love myself
I will mean every single letter.