The Poetry Sisters’ challenge this month was to write in the style of Lucille Clifton’s homage to my hips, and choose our own body parts to pay homage to.
Listen and watch as she reads her poem. That grin (almost a smirk) tricks you into thinking she’s poking fun at herself, but nothing could be further from the truth. She writes against ageism and sexism and racism. Her phrase “I like to celebrate the wonderfulness that I am” became my battle cry. I am who I am who I was who I will be, but I AM HERE! Against all odds, I have come this far, and I’m going to carry on singing at the top of my voice…well, insofar as an introvert can manage, at least.
Here’s what body parts the rest of the Poetry Sisters are celebrating:
Liz @ Liz Garton Scanlon
Tanita @ {fiction, instead of lies}
Tricia @ The Miss Rumphius Effect
Laura @ Laura Purdie Salas
Janice has this week’s Poetry Friday roundup at Salt City Verse.
Image via Unsplash.
A(nother) Year of Reading 
Wow. I adore this poem. What a celebration of you.
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This is what poetry prompt perfection looks like, the words “Yet here I am” anchoring all that body imperfection love. Well done!
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The wonderful mess of you, indeed! You’re inspiring with that beautiful poem! Thank you.
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OH NO! That was supposed to be wonderfulness, not wonderful mess! So sorry, Mary Lee.
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I love this celebration, Mary Lee! Once long ago I read something about how we should celebrate every body part, not singling any one of them out as faulty, because every single one of them is US. And that has helped a lot whenever body image issues sneak in! Thanks for your poem. xo
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Damn. This is Just Right. I really feel this, Mary Lee, and I’m so glad you found your way to it — for your own well-being and a reminder to all of us. (Also, I LOVE “every lap in the pool is named Victory”!!!)
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Yes! This works!! I like how the layout tacks across the page, taking up SPACE. I love that simian grin, a threat that is both polite smile and TEETH. Probably my favorite image in the entire poem is a mashup of your brain and mine. The laps are named Victory, and I also imagine Winged Victory swimming them – back arched, chest raised, rising from having swam laps in the Styx, and shedding the bitter waters of that dark surf to get on with the day. That Victory is a beast, and I am here to hear her roar! (In an introvert-approved manner, naturally 😅.)
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How funny that Lucille Clifton says she was born weighing 125 lbs.! I love how she reads the line “spin him like a top” with such sass! And YOUR POEM made me smile just as much. “Loose of skin!” Love it! Thank you for the reminder to embrace ourselves as we are.
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Mary Lee, those stair step lines to the refrain of “Yet here I am.” is so sure and steady and celebrative of you. Then the “I made it this far…” lines with all the positives are stunning. “showing all my teeth” and Victory. Yes, indeed! “Affirmation” is a perfect title.
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Love love love this ode to a wondrous self, Mary Lee!
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I love your word choices, Mary Lee. So expressive. You deserve to celebrate what was and will be! xo
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Uplifting and simply wonderful! Your use of repetition powered this poem, making your affirmation convincing and inspiring.
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It’s a gift to be able to look at yourself, at the aging process, and be honest about it, affirm it, and be grateful that you have arrived at a place many never get to. Here’s to aging and having teeth and eyes that see the “wonderfulness” that is there.
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Oh, I love this, Mary Lee! The pool laps named Victory. Perfect. It feels like every week, someone I know a little bit or a lot is passing away. It feels good to celebrate our bodies that are keeping us here, breathing, living…
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The most appropriate title -Affirmation’ for a poem that acknowledges your appreciation for the you that has emerged from your life journey thus far. It speaks to readers with a stunning honesty as a celebration of your life and your obvious appreciation of what has been delivered. Bravo, Mary Lee. Right up there with your best words.
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It’s you, no matter the year, YOU, and it’s all good! Thanks for a lesson in affirmation, Mary Lee!
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I absolutely love this joyful affirmation and celebration of you. Your use of repetition works so well to ground all that wonderful joy! Such a fabulous poem!
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I am here for this celebration. Hooray to all the ways our body takes care of us just the way we need! Here’s to the knobby of kneed. Me too!
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I love that all of your poems are such celebrations of LIVING! We don’t know how much time we have, so dang it, we got to celebrate it!
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Love this affirmation!
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“Yet here I am.” YES! And we are all thankful for the wonderfulness of you.
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Mary Lee, your affirmation is full of pride for who you are. I honor your poem and wish you continued vitality to enjoy life. I started poem for this month’s #PoetryPals and see where it takes me as I journey onward.
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Your poem is all kinds of wonderful, Mary Lee! (yes, here you are!)
“every lap in the pool is named Victory” – love this. 🙂
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Handsome tribute to who you were, are, and will be! And positive way to group and mention what happens to our bodies as we age… Onward and upward!
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