In The Eyes Of The Beholder

What do you see

When you look at me

Do you see the lines around my eyes

Or the laughing I have done

Do you see the heavy lids

Or the sparkle that graces my eyes still

Do you see the wrinkles on my cheeks

Or the many smiles I have had

Do you see my rounded belly

Or a woman who has birthed

Do you see my wobbly thighs

Or the many paths I have walked

Do you see my ageing body

Or the experiences I have seen

For I am more that my vessel

I am more than the outer shell

I am more than the skin I am in

If you could see my soul

Instead of my body

What would you see

A woman that has laughed

Cried, loved and lost

Felt rapture and passion

Joy and grief

A woman that has watched

As her children grew

Forging paths of their own

Becoming themselves

For I am more than

What you see

I am me

A soul, a consciousness

That runs deeper

Than skin and bone

So now......

What do you see

When you look at me