Sometimes
When I am feeling disconnected from a crowd of people I’m standing in front of
When they are staring at me but nothing about the interaction feels of love or understanding
Not fun or joy
I ask them to repeat after me
“I am beautiful”
And some are more reluctant than others
I am beautiful should be a given
Should be a place we begin from
A foundation we are born into
but sometimes messages get delivered like the post
From a stranger always having a bad day
A body should not beg for acceptance
We walk around in these bodies
These protective suits for our tender souls
We walk around looking like tattered undelivered apology notes
My flesh is exactly as I need it to be to keep my spirit intact
Shiny
But I have been roaming these streets thinking I understood the concept of beauty as it relates to me
Thinking
I am beautiful If only I was less or more
Thinking
If I weighed less these shallow fools would want to know me
I’ve been hiding behind clothes trying to camouflage
When myself and comfortable is all I’ve ever wanted to be
But sometimes
Comfortable is as lasting as a love I lost long ago
She said
“You have a beautiful body”
I could not comprehend the words
It was the first time in my entire life I had ever heard these words placed together and directed at me
When im confused I take big ideas and break them into smaller pieces
Make them tiny enough to fit my world into
You have a beautiful body
YOU
Meaning me
Meaning Natalie Patterson
Daughter of joe frank and lynne
Meaning mid west American black girl
With skin and eyes light enough to confuse her own kind
Meaning my own kind don’t recognize me
You have a beautiful body
HAVE implies ownership
meaning I natalie Patterson own something I never paid for
meaning somethings are free
meaning I didn’t earn it so I don’t know the value of it
Might abuse or take it for granted
You have a beautiful body
A meaning one
Meaning I natalie Patterson own a single thing
One irreplaceable thing that does indeed die
You have a beautiful body
BEAUTIFUL meaning pleasing or satisfying
Meaning I am appealing and desirable
Didn’t know that
Have always been pretty with a “but If you only” attached
Never been just beautiful
Stated as fact
You have a beautiful body
BODY meaning physical structure
A place the spirit is held in
And i have never held even my lovers long enough to be good at it
You have a beautiful body
I will repeat these words until I am no longer reluctant
Until these words are a given
Until they are no longer foreign in my mouth
I will repeat these words
I have a beautiful body
I have a beautiful body
I have a beautiful body
Until ownership becomes a privilege
Until this skin becomes a perfect home
Weathered and worn over time
A perfect home
Whose walls I know well
Whose stair case
And old floors creak my favorite song
I am my own favorite song that I am just now learning all the words to
But I wanna sing you
Sing you til the song sticks
I have a beautiful body period.
poems. 
Found this from the Soul Pancake episode. It’s beautiful. And I while listening to you recite it, I found myself crying. You are a beautiful poet and I wanted to tell you that.
Thank you so much. I appreciate you reaching out and being touched by my poem.
I too found this because of the Soul Pancake video. I don’t care what shape, size, color or creed you come from…I don’t know how you have read my mind and can write/speak the words that every woman thinks about herself and feels like no other woman understands…you have a beautiful body, I have a beautiful body and I’m just now allowing myself to say that because of your words. Thank you!
Yes!!!!!!!! You have found the sweet spot of life. Enjoy the journey. Watch the other poems when you need to be reminded! Xoxo
I shared the exact same experience. Crying from deep within my soul. Thank you. You are wonderful. You are beautiful.
Thank you
Thank you for helping me to reevaluate my own perceived image. Next time my husband tells me I am sexy and beautiful, I will thank him and believe him.
You have a beautiful body, and a beautiful soul, too.
Chant it to yourself and watch what happens!
Found you on soulpancake and darling as well, and I wanted to tell you how much this poem was a gift to me. And you looked so beautiful and alive as you recited it- like you were doing exactly what you were meant to be. You are lovely, and your words are lovely. Thank you so much! 🙂
Thank you so much. I’m glad my poem touched you. I wish nothing but joy and peace for you. xo. N.
You left me speechless and crying for the way I have treated my body these past few years. Thank you for this. It means the world to me and watching you speak this poem(on soulpancake) makes it and you all the more beautiful. Thank you.
Catherine!!! i love your honesty. Thank you for sharing part of your story with me. I hope this poem continues to inspire you to love your self more.
I also found you through my subscription to Soulpancake. Your words are so inspiring I just had to come find your site and let you know that you moved me. My own mother thinks she’s overweight and ugly. I try to tell her she’s wrong but she just thinks I’m being polite. The way you read that poem with so much emotion I couldn’t help but feel it. You DO have a beautiful body and a beautiful soul. Thank you for sharing your poetry with the world.
Thank you! Please share the video with your mom. Keep telling her she is beautiful no matter what, one day she will hear you.
Thank you for speaking the words I desperately needed to hear
Thank you for listening.
SO in LOVE with this poem! btw you truly have a beautiful body!
Thanks you, love.
Thank you for the exact words I needed to hear. I found myself in tears by the end, so I just printed it out, and am going to stick a copy somewhere where I’ll see it daily. I truly appreciate this poem, and you for sharing your beautiful gift. ❤
That’s so awesome! I hope my words carry to higher ground.
Natalie, you and this poem are wonderful! I also found you through my subscription to Soulpancake. Listening to you was sooo amazing and sensitive, Best wishes 🙂
Thank you for this poem! I saw it on Soulpancake and I already pinned it on my wall. This poem is so powerful and helps my self-esteem 😉 ❤
Alex,
Thank you so much. Xo
N.
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Reblogged this on sohwilim.
Reblogged this on she is nourished and commented:
Natalie. You nailed it. ❤
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I first watched you on soulpancake when i was getting ready to go out i coluldnt let myself cry because i had already done my make up. the next day i went back, rewatched you and cried and ceied. thank you so much you have given me a gift. xxx
Girl, I know the makeup was a commitment so no crying! Thanks for going back to it. Thanks for letting it mean something to you. Xox N.
I absolutely love this so much. It has touched me so much. I’ve been watching the video you were in everyday. It gives me chills hearing you saying it! Thank you so much for that!
Thank you. When you get a chance watch the new one on confidence and perception
Thank you. I’ve never known what it feels like to own that sentiment ~ that I might have a beautiful anything! Hearing you read those words made me weep…taking them in and knowing that THIS is what I want my sweet little girl to grow up knowing as surely as she knows her name…as certainly as she knows her momma loves her. So I will (with your permission) print this…and post it everywhere…I will chant these words until I know them as unequivocally as I know that I will love my sweet little girl for always. And when I have taken them in…and understand their full power…I know that, like you, I will become a force of nature ~ strong and powerful and beautiful.
Ida!
You are half way there! The journey twists but home is never far. If you need the words, they are yours. You give my work life.
In solidarity,
N.
like a lot of people i found this on soulpancake and oh my goodness i was overwhelmed with feelings! i am currently only 13 and i have been struggling with body issues and i read this over and over and somehow i felt better about myself! why should i care about what other people think of me because i know how beautiful i am! i am amazing and true to myself and i wont let anyone cloud my better judgement!!!!! thank you so so so so so much for writing this it has literally made my life!
Gigi! You are the most wonderful girl ever. Thank you for sharing this with me. I love that you are coming into yourself!
This is an exquisite poem. I have shared it with my eight year old daughter and some forty and fifty something friends. Watching you deliver it was extremely powerful. Thank you for putting these words into the world.
Thank you for sharing my work. You are wonderful
I am really happy Soul Pancake featured this poem. As a teenager, this really was inspiring and made me feel the bomb. I would like to start writing my own poems to inspire others as you inspired me.
Awesome! I bet your teachers would even accept poems as assignments! Ask!
Wow.
Your work is amazing, and so SO beautiful – like you. I, too, write poetry but nothing anywhere near this! Please don’t ever stop being who you were created to be. You are truly MADE to be wonderful. xo
Thank you so much! You are so sweet.
ms natalie, wonder woman, wordsmith: i, too, saw you reciting this on ‘soul pancake’ and i was so touched and awed by your beautiful self reading your own profound words. i have bookmarked this, your written words, because so much of this resonated with me.) i do hope that i can find the video clip – without the darling group intro – just to keep and savor for posterity. this should be a required reading of poetry for all young women AND men. really, inspired me, brought me to tears. keep writing!
Thank you so much.
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Thanks for sharing this.
I also discovered you on the soul pancake episode. I searched you out. I am so happy i found your site. You are amazing. Your words are amazing. I shared your poem with all of the women in my life and was SOOO excited when you were on the second soul pancake episode with yet another beautiful poem. You are a downright awesome chick period.
Thank you so much. Yes, I’m on all the episodes of this series. So glad you are enjoying. You seem pretty cool, too!
Thank you soooo much!
I saw this on a video in class today and this made me cry these word spoke to me and you are an amazing and gorgeous woman. Thank for these words of wisdom.
1.What class?? 2. Thank you 3.have you seen the other episodes?
Natalie… wow! I’m just absolutely moved by your poem. you made me think about the way i regard my own body. just wanna say thank you with capital letters:THANK YOU!
Ayelén from Argentina
Ayelén! Thank you darling for reaching out! So glad my poem could help.
Dear Natalie,
I watched you on one of the soul pancake youtube videos. Your poem Beautiful Body gave me chills; and even made me tear up a little bit. You are so talented and beautiful. I am such a fan. Thank you.
Wish you much success and happiness!
Sincerely
Odontuul
Thanks. You gotta watch the whole series…
You are amazing . This is amazing. My school played your poem on the morning announcements and I had to find you and tell you that this is beautiful, you are beautiful, and most of all Thank you for reminding me that I am beautiful
Omg.. Really? What school..where?
Thank you for your beautiful poem. I especially love the part where you keep on repeating the line ‘I have a beautiful body.’ And, you do have a beautiful body. I love the way you carry yourself…with such confidence and grace. I would like to be able to do that one day. I’m grateful that I came across this poem. I saw the SoulPancake video at school. I hope you continue inspiring others for many more years.
This is truly a beautiful poem. I cried reading it and it made me feel so good about myself. I want to thank you for making me smile today. You have a beautiful body and I hope I can believe that about myself just as you do.
Thank you for your beautiful words. I shared your poem with my students and I had a student ( a girl) give me a piece of paper and then run out the door for recess…the paper simply said ‘thank you’. I started to cry in class because I knew exactly what those two words were about. She hasn’t stopped writing poetry since we watched your video. So thank you for saving my student. She hasn’t been the same since we watched your video. :0)
Omg. This is so awesome. Where do you teach? We need to talk. Email me natalieispoetry@gmail.com
As a 18 year old girl, I see where my voice may not be as loud as others nevertheless I wish to thank you for the beauty you have shared through this poem. I state my age because I wish for you to see that this poem reaches all ages as it has reached mine. I congratulate you on this piece of artwork as it has allowed me to look at myself in the most divine light which I was unable to see before. You are an inspirational woman.
Shirley! How amazing are you? Thank you so much. Glad my work could reach you. Be great!
Natalie I just saw you recite your poem on Soul Pancake, your are awesome and quite a talent. Keep up the honest dialogue!
thank you
I am a 16 year old that as most teenagers do, detest their body. I went through an eating disorder and still struggle to accept my body for what it is. I have printed your poem and stuck it on my closet so every morning I can see your beautiful words every time I get dressed. I now recite “I have a beautiful body”. My words cannot express my gratitude for your beautiful honesty and inspirational thoughts.
@chariklia,
I write for myself but I share what I write for you and every other person like you. Wildly love yourself. Settle into this love for it will save you every time.
Xoxo,
N.
I just watched you on YouTube and it has spoken to me so deeply. I needed to listen to that. I really did.
Natalie your words are just as beautiful as you are. We are doing this: http://www.livebeautifulyou.net/ please contact me if you want to become involved. mjvconsulting@gmail.com