Reflection #50 My Body

Yesterday
a long-time friend said
you look the same—

I smiled,
accepted the gift
for what it was:
kindness wrapped as memory.

Because no,
I have changed
Time is traced
in quiet lines

Softened edges,
deepened spaces
A person who has lived
persisted.

Most days
I carry this lightly
other days
it feels like weight

And no,
I do not look
as I once did.

I look like this—
like a person
who has lived,
learned,
endured,
and continues.

And that,
finally,
is enough.