I'm drunk, but you're still beautiful.

I looked at you in a new way today.
Yes, you in the mirror.
I saw you and I didn't mind. I thought maybe
it would be okay to spend forever with you,
because I don't mind being in your skin anymore.
I don't mind the freckles on the small of your back
or the way stretch marks lattice your thighs.
I have grown to love that little nose and your wonky eyebrows.
I am beginning to find beauty in your shape,
the curve of your hip, and the sway of your waist,
your round knees and worn hands.
There have been days
when I have found you insufferable
and I have wished more than anything
to be someone altogether new;
brighter, funnier, with a whiter smile and happier eyes.
But now I am re-learning the topography of your body with a more open mind,
seeing, perhaps, what other people see.
I can see the sparkle in your eyes and how amazing you look when you are passionate about something.
I love the way your hands animate everything you say and how you cover your mouth when you smile, as if you know that your grin is a weapon at your disposal.
I have learned that no one else needs to love you for you to love yourself. Loving yourself is acceptable,
as is finding glory in how lovely the lines on your hands are.
I may have had too much to drink,
but in the morning I will be sober and you will be the same.
You'll still be beautiful,
and I will still be able to see you in the mirror.

-g.m

___________________________________________________
some context:

loving yourself is important. you don't have to, of course. if your body causes you distress or dysphoria, then it can be incredibly difficult to feel good in your skin.
i just want you to know that you are ALLOWED to love yourself.
it's a journey we all have to take on and it doesn't happen over night, but the body is a work of art. whether you are tall or short or fat or thin or have broad shoulders and little hips or whatEVER, you are endlessly and infinitely beautiful.

much love

x