Poetry by Ashleigh Condon: Weight
Weight
Let me lose a few pounds
Then there won’t be room to think
about the things weighing me down
about the things weighing me down
Because maybe if my face was thinner
then I could have a lighter smile
and my brow wouldn’t hang so heavy
then I could have a lighter smile
and my brow wouldn’t hang so heavy
And maybe if my head wasn’t so fat
I could train myself not to have
such greedy thoughts about happiness
I could train myself not to have
such greedy thoughts about happiness
If only my fear didn’t balloon
to the corners of the room
about the state of this world,
my failed career,
my waning health,
my wasted youth,
the kids I don’t have,
the car I don’t own,
this house that isn’t mine,
the things I’ve not done,
the shame I feel
to the corners of the room
about the state of this world,
my failed career,
my waning health,
my wasted youth,
the kids I don’t have,
the car I don’t own,
this house that isn’t mine,
the things I’ve not done,
the shame I feel
Let me just lose a few pounds.
Author’s Note
Weight is a poem about the unhealthy ways we deal with internal pain by way of denial and avoidance. In this poem I am exploring how somebody might distract themselves with weight loss to avoid coping with the real fears bubbling under the surface – the real ‘weight’ bearing down on them. I was inspired after reading Wasted by Marya Hornbacher.
