I know what my goal is, i can see it now
Just a little bit off my stomach
Some toning of the thighs
And get my bingo wings under control
No problem.
The magazines spread across the floor
The difference between me and them
The different exercises practised repeatedly
A new diet, a bit less chocolate, a lot more water
I begin drowning myself
No problem, No problem.
A routine is formed
I wake up, i weigh myself
I eat breakfast skillfully avoiding most of the calories
I weigh myself
Skip lunch, i weigh myself
Cry in frustration at my reflection
Repeat the exercises for 2 hours. i weigh myself
skillfully avoid eating any dinner
I weigh myself
Cry my self to sleep, it's no use
No problem, No problem, No problem.
The Voice comes into my head
"You're fat" it tells me
"You're ugly and fat"
God i cry so hard and i do more exercises
While my parents shout at me
"Come back to us!"
But i can't
The Voice gets angrier and louder
"YOU'RE FAT FAT FAT, DO YOUR EXERCISES YOU FAT PIG!"
And i obey
If i obey the Voice becomes nicer
And tells me i'm getting there
No problem, No problem, No problem, No problem.
I scream at my parents
They try to make me eat an apple
"Why do you want to make me fat!"
I don't eat anymore
And the Voice is so proud of me
I hear it's praise washing over me
And i smile
I smile when i see the faces stare
When i hear the whispers saying how thin i am
I sleep peacefully
I have achieved my goal.
No problem, No problem, No problem, No problem, No problem.
I wake up on a life support machine
No Problem?
Please tell me what you think
Comments
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Nicely enters into the mind/psychology of the speaker, moving her (and us) from reason to madness. As lines get longer, the poem takes us further into the inside. Devastating.
Are you by any chance familiar with a short story by Conrad Aiken, "Silent Snow, Secret Snow" (I think--it's been a long time since I've read it) about a child who is apparently going autistic as the story proceeds. Similar feeling of madness and doom, equally well re-created.

