alone feels so good

when a body is left alone

Alone feels so good
in a body that has long been asked
to make itself useful 
being seen and heard
and looked upon without consent

lying on the bed
still warm from the steam of a hot shower
naked in a body that is just a body and not
a declaration of age, gender, correctness
or lack thereof

a body that is just a body
with no hidden meanings
nothing to decipher or consider
nothing to comment on or not comment on

no one to do the commenting
or the not commenting

just a body that has done enough heavy lifting

calloused feet and prickly shins
bruised knees and soft thighs
tight hips from holding everything together
a pouch of belly fat
a spotty back and hairy nipples
breasts no stranger to gravity
a stiff neck and chapped lips
flakey scalp and greasy tendrils

words that mean nothing 
to a body that is allowed 
to just be a body

when a body is left alone
and finally can rest

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