I am inspired by bodies.  How they feel, what they can do, how they make other people feel, and yes, how they look.

We are amazing, organic, divine machines.  Our bodies grow, grow others, hunger, thrive, get sick, recover, age, die.  Our bodies do their own bidding.  Viruses play tricks on us.  Epistemology plays tricks on us and with a forked tongue tells us we are not our bodies.  We draw distinctions between our minds, our personalities, our souls, our spirits and our flesh suitcases.

There is no distinction.  So far as I know, we’ve only got this one body and this one life.  There is no line between mind and body.  You are who you are: body, mind and soul.  No one – including you – can love your mind and not your body, or your body and not your mind.  We are one.

I am inspired by bodies.  What they can do. What they are capable of: breathing, living, moving, stretching, flinching, creating, pleasuring, strengthening, weakening, sleeping.  A parent’s fiercest, gentlest pleasure is watching a baby, toddler, child learn to choreograph her limbs and her intentions.  Wobble.  Stand.  Walk.  Run.  This ungainly dance is grace itself. 

This is what I know about our bodies.  Woman or man, we are not borne to be ornaments.  Our sexualities are not solely inscribed by the gazes of others.  The power of our bodies is in what they can do.  Move.  Birth.  Fight.  Endure. Play.  Live.  Love.  Please.

This entry was posted on Friday, June 19th, 2009 at 7:01 am and is filed under Bodies, Meaning, Sex. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.