Self-Image (Poem)

I used to be skin
And bones
And people would say,
"You look like skin and bones"
"You need to gain weight"
"If there was a nuclear war,
You would be the first to die
Because you have no meat
On your bones"
Just skin
Skin and bones.

They accused me
Of being anorexic-
I must have an eating disorder
With those skin and bones

I was 5'6" and 103 lbs.

Then I had babies.

After babies one and two
I went back
To skin and bones

After baby three
I weighed 116 lbs.
No one ever said,
"Wow, you look
Mah-velous,
Where are your skin and bones?"

I didn't matter
I just ate cookies
Like I always had before
And watched Sesame Street
All the while
Eating more cookies

Two babies later
Still eating cookies
126 lbs

More cookies
135 lbs

Not a kind word
About how my cookie hips
Have paid off
And laid to rest
Those skin and bones

By 150 lbs
I think maybe I crossed a line
Somewhere........back there......

And none of those well-intentioned souls
Ever told me
That I had cookie thighs
A cookie butt
And a big cookie head

And now
I have to find my way back
To skin and bones

And the gurus tell me
The way is....
To eat skinny little green things

And wait

In the meantime
Maybe I will dodge a bullet
During that nuclear war.

©Expressions by Christine 2010