your bones are no longer made of glass
your skin of paper
and your knuckles no longer raw
and the thought of seventh grade no longer makes you gag
and those nasty scars from 2011
are finally beginning to fade

so i feel it is time to tell you, my body,
i am sorry
i’m sorry i chewed the skin off my lips as if it were bubblegum
i knew it was a bad habit
it’s just everyone in my math class made me so nervous
and i’m sorry i took my anger out on you
when the first boy i ever dated dumped me
i know now it wasn’t because my thighs touched
or because he could feel my stomach when we hugged
and i’m sorry
i ever felt the need
to paint the toilet bowl with my self-hatred
that peace sign
that so ironically
brought me anything
but peace
just constantly yearned
for the back of my throat
i’m sorry i ever wanted to rip my arms open
with a shard of glass
because you don’t deserve that

you just got stuck with a soul that didn’t appreciate you for years
and in case you haven’t realized it yet
i not only kiss my hand to get rid of some chapstick
but also to show that i love you
i realized a while ago
that a lot of the hatred i had toward you
came from the inside
and that, like me, you are trying your hardest
so please never change
because i know you care for me
and know i care for you too