2.8
March 29, 2014

You Are Enough (A Poem). ~ Emily Buck

Woman in foggy mirror

You are Enough—

If the girl in front of you has sweet dreads and you don’t.

If your abs don’t show like hers do,

If your biceps don’t bulge like his,

If you can’t carry a tune or

Your style isn’t up to par with the magazines.

 

You are enough—

If you watch to much TV,

If you haven’t read all the books on your bookshelf,

And could have bought that DVD

With your overdue library fees.

 

You are enough—

If you can’t run like you used to,

Can’t throw like you used to
,

Can’t pump weights like you used to.

 

You are enough

If he dumps you.

 

You are enough—

If she writes poems about her dream man,

Meanwhile you were there

Holding out your hand,

But she said “no” —she couldn’t reach just then.

 

You are enough—

If you don’t do it right the first time.

If the sun burns your skin,

If you have to swim

With a t-shirt on.

 

You are enough—

If you can’t put on weight

Even though you try and try,

You fear

You’ll always be the kid 
with the chicken legs.

 

You are enough—

If you had your son before you would have planned,

Didn’t move past the placement,

And never quite felt confident as a nurse again.

 

You are enough

If you don’t get an 80 on the exam.

 

You are enough—

If you are seen as savior
,

But the crashing waves of other people’s mistakes

Are wearing away your tired bones,

And you need someone else

To throw the life jacket today.

 

You are enough

If your best friend hit you.

 

If you let down the drunk girl—

Let  yourself down,

Because you didn’t know better,

And still don’t know why 
it had to turn out the way it did.

 

You are enough—

If your credit card debt

Is so daunting,

All you do is

Smoke 
cigarette after cigarette after cigarette.

 

You are enough—

If you didn’t visit your neighbor,

Didn’t bring over soup as promised,

Then see his widow at the wake two weeks later.

 

You are enough—

When each time you bring your right foot to meet the left,

You are reminded you aren’t balanced;

That 
your feet turn in too much,

Or too far out;

That 
two toes stick together and

You’re the only one wearing socks

In yoga class

.

 

You are enough

When you reach for the sky

But your shoulder locks.

 

You are enough
—

Even if your anxiety makes breathing difficult,

No matter how many times

You are reminded to try.

 

You are enough

—

If you loved and let go
;

Loved and were let go
;

Love, but never gave it a go.

You are enough—

If you don’t do your dishes,

Don’t take the garbage out,

And forget to mow the lawn.

 

You are enough

If you can’t do it perfectly.

 

You are enough

If you don’t do it all.

 

This is not just my opinion.

You are enough.

 

 

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Editorial Assistant: Brandy Mansfield / Editor: Renée Picard

Photo: Dennis Brekke on Flickr

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