Grace

Artist: Danielle Guinsler

You were not unlike the pair of jeans
Some women keep
In the back of their closet
From high school
From college
From before the baby

They fit back then
She wore them dancing with friends
When she used to go dancing
When she stayed out until the bars closed
When she walked home as the city slept

But through the years her hips widened
Her stomach grew and shrank and settled
Until the zipper stuck
The button would not close
She sucked in her breath
Vowed to get her body back

As if it went missing
As if it had not built another human
As if it needed to be punished
With detox teas and juice cleanses
Skipping dessert

Instead of holding them in her hands
Finding the grace to let them go
They are no longer meant for her