The Body is in full swing election Campaigning for a Senate seat in the House of Body Image An underdog Bony knuckles shift unbound in the fight for dominance Given half a chance between nicotine streaked fingers And crash diets She blocks the mental carcinogens spewed from lips All too familiar with late night binges Her slogan: Hunger only believes it's beautiful When beautiful becomes sculpted out of hunger
Chiseled marble forms in magazines and all the young girls follow the model Pied Piper The candidate clutches her skin over ribs stretching their way back to healthy After a brief encounter with its opponent's tactics Plastic surgery marking pouches of "excess" The body approaches the podium "As many of you know, I have, in the past, fallen victim to the shallow And I'm here to tell you The only hunger that's beautiful Is the hunger to know yourself. Together we can fight the opposition Take back the power of Blood breath bones Let's look in the mirror with naked reverence At what each sacred body has to offer us Lets unstitch the seams of size 0 fabric Quilt in patches to embrace that "excess" It need not define us It's not just skin in reflection but a masterpiece of excellence"
The body pauses Notices A demonstration swelling Wallets fat with weight watchers and waif fashionistas Pouty lips and high rollers on the strip of celebrity Hunger is beautiful! Hunger is Beautiful! Her stomach growls in protest Still stretch-marked with the roadmap to supposed perfection She eats a sandwich She laughs Soon she will have the floor She will filibuster Teen Magazine for each girl Making decisions based on air brushed images For every woman weighing worth with a scale Yes . these fat fists are taking on the industry She's voting for herself.
About the Author
Words can be fierce advocates for our rights~our body~our heart~and our spirit - Jocelyn Bates is a spoken word poet & feminist writer dedicated to eXpression in its many forms ... www.artsetc.net.
Sheilagh Ethne O’Leary is an established award-winning art photographer born and living in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Her work has been exhibited/collected internationally and appears in numerous art journals and publications. Sheilagh received her art education through mentorship with Manfred Buchheit, Concordia University’s Faculty of Fine Art, Banff Centre for the Arts, and the Rockport Maine Workshops. Read More...
Words can be fierce advocates for our rights~our body~our heart~and our spirit - Jocelyn Bates is a spoken word poet & feminist writer dedicated to eXpression in its many forms ... 
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