VENUS

Woman is not all I am but

I know I am woman

not by my tits or cunt

but because when I met the ocean

I recognized something in myself

peaceful and frightening

depending on the wind

and the shape of the moon

stretch marks of kelp and detritus marking where she swelled to

tide pool cellulite harboring life

a promise that we will make it through the winter

I envy Aphrodite

born of sea foam

her mother ocean never bade her suck it in

in Willendorf they found proof

of the unbroken slope of her belly

relaxed and unscarred by

vain attempts to hold herself small

palms rest on downturned bosom

navel gaze so deep her crown slipped over her eyes

a three dimensional self portrait

a prayer of adoration

carved by a body not unlike my own

I can look down too

and see god

EmJo Chaney (she/they) is some white bitch - middle age middle class middle child from the middle west - she has been writing poetry for an amount of time - she's on various social mediums but please leave her be - support her by trusting your instincts and doing the dishes.