My Shoulders
Every time another outfit is ruined by the dress code,
I hear somebody say this:
"OMG, why can't girls wear tank tops?
Boys don't care about sexy shoulders, right?"
Right.
But I think tank tops are okay,
And that is because I love my shoulders!
I love my shoulders because
When I have a job to do, I push them back
And my body tells my mind that things just got serious.
I love my shoulders because
They're my second set of hands.
I can use them to hold doors open
And carry things
And flip light switches
And hold my phone when I have to multitask.
I love my shoulders because]
When the seasons change, they're the first to know.
They get to feel the fresh air in May
And get cozy warm under fleece in October.
I love my shoulders because
No matter how many times I've been told
To put back that donut/pizza/icecream/frenchfries/cherrycoke
The reason has never been
"Because it'll go straight to your shoulders."
I love my shoulders because
They remind me of Sunday mornings as a little kid,
Not even tall enough to reach the bowl by the church door,
A parent's hand tracing mine over my face and chest;
And now, even though
I can reach the holy water but I don't reach for it,
I still appreciate the gentle guidance of my first lessons in God.
I love my shoulders because
They are my body's Venn diagram,
A three-way intersection of Strength, Wisdom, and Beauty.
I love my shoulders because
They are home to my life story.
If you look closely, you can see imprints of
An American Girl doll's face
A musician's tentative arm
Bruises from thrown punches and thrown insults
Midnight naps with sore throats and winter coats
Bloody noses and the stems of broken roses
Burnt CDs, burnt skin and burnt bridges
TV marathons on Thursday nights
Tears from real breakups
Tears from fictional breakups
Tears from laughing so hard we couldn't move
And tears from just having to be.
I love my shoulders because
Someday, contrary to popular belief,
A boy will tell me I have sexy shoulders
And after that he'll say
"But what does it matter?
The important thing is that
We both cried during 'The Angels Take Manhattan'
And put peanut butter on our Fritos
And think that the acoustic version of 'Jasey Rae'
Is better than the original.
I love my shoulders because
I love with them.
I use them for
Comforting a friend who has nowhere else to rest her head,
Lulling a restless cousin to sleep,
Supporting an elderly family member who has gained wisdom with her years,
But lost a bit of balance.
I love my shoulders because
They were a source of epiphany for me:
First that hey, I had really nice shoulders!
And second that it was the first time in so long
That I had looked in my mirror
And found the satisfaction I had been missing
Since I misplaced it on a beach
The previous summer.
I love my shoulders because
Why shouldn't I?
I should not have to grow up in a culture
That forces me to pick out all my flaws
And then pay in more than money
To have them "fixed."
I love my shoulders because
They allow me to hold my head up high,
Look society in its misshapen face
And say
"I am NOT afraid of you anymore!"
So here is my challenge:
Let me show my shoulders!
I value them too much to keep them covered.
I may be the only girl in the whole world
Who thinks that her shoulders are her best feature;
But I exist, and I LOVE MY SHOULDERS,
And I will display them like a trophy
If it gives me some self-confidence.
Oh, and one last thing about my shoulders:
I love my shoulders because
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
So if today I can love my shoulders,
Maybe tomorrow I will love
All the parts of myself scattered throughout this town
Enough to gather them up again.