An Ode to Thick Thighs  
Amanda McPherson

Curse not those jiggly things
They are cushioned for your protection
They have carried you from bar to bar to bed back to bar
They have been drum sets
And trays
And pillows for lover’s heads

Run your hands over them
Feel where the skin has been torn
Let your fingers run down riverbeds of stretch marks
Squeeze them and watch blossoms erupt on your skin
Remind yourself they are immense because you love the way sweetness
Bursts on your tongue
Do not apologize for it

Picture your thighs as honeysuckles
Watch them bloom with warmth in the summer

Now picture them as warriors
Testing the limits of denim, putting jeans through holy wars

Laugh at the way your thighs touch,
The way the skin kisses sloppily
The way lovers in alley who’ve had too much to drink do

Love your thighs thick and scarred
Let them jiggle and roll when you move
If someone shakes at their quaking let them stare
Your thighs are full of thunder
Listen to them shout