Twelve by Bailey Bloyd

Embrace the body.

Embrace the overdeveloped,

underappreciated goddess that you are.

There is no manual

for what you have.

You have this vessel

that men will die for

and boys will cower from.

Cushioned skin covers your hips

And tightens at your waist.

Thighs scream to kiss one another.

Summer will not be your season

but baby you flourish in the Winter.

Because this body before you,

not the mirror,

has already been written.

You are a vivid

violent blossom,

waiting to erupt.

Bailey Bloyd is a senior at Marywood University in Scranton Pennsylvania. She will be graduating in May with no job but a BA in English and writing. Bailey focuses on spoken word poetry and creative nonfiction. She is a New Jersey native, bagel enthusiast and poor college student.