Goddess Belly

Originally published in "The Maine Times" in 1998.

Goddess Belly

It is 11 am & I watch Suzie
do yoga on the front porch
in her underwear & sports
bra, her tan stomach rounded over
the elastic waistband. She is thin
everywhere else & flaunts
this delicious bit of extra flesh.

She once told me it was a goddess
belly & I lifted my shirt to where
my own stomach is the same,
though paler, appreciating
something I had always tried
to hide. Now, arching her back,

she catches me watching her & calls
me over to teach me the sun
salutation. "This is the only stretch
you need to know," she says, smiling
at me from under her straw hat.
We bend together, our bellies
perfectly rounded, & breathe in.

-Carrie Vaughan