Moonbelly- Description

Self love, I am coming to understand, is less a feeling and more a relationship with all the elements of being; it is less noun and more verb; it requires our presence and attention. This poem arose out of a desire to speak to myself in kinder terms and to find better ways to practice self compassion.

Body image is such a struggle, especially if we have been objectified, sexualized, dehumanized, harassed, or abused. We often blame ourselves and even specifically our bodies for the pain we have suffered. And, if we also encounter the gaslighting and victim shaming that so often follows those damaging events, the negative self-talk can become even more amplified. Moonbelly became a conversation with my body specifically designed to help me feel and act more loving toward it.

The medium of this piece is a combination of layered images and text, its composition designed in Google Slides. The images call on the healing qualities of water and the fluidity of its structure to enhance the lightness and sensuality of imagined flesh below its surface; the ripple textures are used to symbolize the radiating and far reaching impact of the words we use to frame our thoughts.

Brief Submission Biography

Kelly Joslyn is an educator, writer, kayaking enthusiast, and all around caregiver to the four legged family members who share her home, Katamount Sanctuary, located near the Kinzua Reservoir, in the Allegheny Mountains of Western New York. Her work has recently been featured in The DewDrop Journal and the Snapdragon Journal of Art and Healing.