one for the cyst that

grew around &

took an ovary

a second for my beautiful

daughter

and then the third will be

for the stretched skin,

the legacy of a vast hole

I’ve finally begun to

fill properly

with love not food

with resilience not things

with gratitude and perhaps most importantly

with hope

trace these lines traversing

the softness of my belly

and you will

map a grown & re-grown woman

a garden with paths

a life of loss & gifts & passionate renewal