Poems of Body Positivity

These poems are of the body, toward body positivity. They acknowledge what many other poems hide, and they often times celebrate it. “Years ago, a teacher said never to use the word ‘poop’ in a poem,” writes Chen Chen just after the speaker of his poem “Winter” describes “smelly bowel movements.” This is not a poem that approaches this subject matter to shock or startle the reader; instead the poem makes a case for the whole embodied experience, from the labor of excretions to the tenderness of queer love. Morgan Parker demands autonomy, and Katie Condon develops a enraptured reverence for a woman’s body. Jenny Johnson invokes the desired self-image, Nicole Sealey candidly shares details of one’s bodily experience relevant to medical professionals, and sam sax celebrates a butt plug, whereas Rachel McKibbens explores an early sexual experience. These poems call the body forth, insist that it “Come glistening” into the light.