Mother – Jaclyn Santella

I’m told I get my curly hair from my mother––
The way my face is shaped and the form of my body,
A young version of her.

Our thighs get bigger when we eat sweets
And our hips dip at the same place.
Our stomachs never stay flat,
And we never grew to that “perfect” height.

She tells me she used to hate her body
And wished to be like those skinny girls in magazines,
But she learns to love it when she sees me.

Jaclyn Santella is a current undergraduate student at Eastern Connecticut State University. She is studying English with a concentration in creative writing. Along with being in the English honors society on campus, she also competes at the NCAA D3 level for women’s basketball. She has a passion for writing, with a focus on short stories and poetry.