A ‘Reading for Wellbeing’ recommended read!
My face is a map by Jackie Kay (from Red, Cherry Red by Jackie Kay)
I love this poem because I think it’s just so simple and beautifully written, whilst at the same time being incredibly powerful. It’s about a young girl with a birthmark on her face, which she describes as being like a map of Australia. When there is talk about her having it removed, she says,
‘Without my map, will I be the same person?
Will I know where I am, where I have been?’
I think this poem highlights how wonderful it is to love and accept yourself as you are, and in a culture that’s becoming increasingly obsessed with body image, appearance and cosmetic surgery, that’s an important message for all woman to hear.
