ETERNAL STATE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Brain cells fade like stars at dawn's first light.
Skin cells age, too, losing their youthful flexibility and might.
Hair cells, once proud, now surrender their strands, and
even their vibrant hues lose to time's unyielding hands.
So, why amidst this cycle do fat cells have a different fate?
No matter my age they seem to have an annoying eternal state.
Winter warmth, comfort eating,
Dog house took some beating,
Dog got fat, so did I,
Sunny clothes did heave their sigh,
Guess, Dog, this is our fat day,
Thinner salads shall hold sway,
Lettuce shreds, lack a day,
Fat days, thin days, my yo-yo way!
Collops of fat line the tables of the few,
while the many stretch hands toward empty plates.
Skyscrapers rise in the capital,
yet in the villages, children bend under jerrycans,
walking miles for a sip of muddy water.
The economy grows, they say—
percentages polished and paraded—
but the growth is stored in vaults,
not in classrooms with broken desks,
not in hospitals without medicine,
not in the pockets of the farmer who tills red soil for nothing.
Every election season,
collops of fat are dangled like bait—
T-shirts, soap, envelopes,
promises swollen with grease,
but never nourishment for tomorrow.
The youth, restless, crowd into boda stages,
degrees folded in pockets,
dreams reduced to dust by unemployment.
Markets overflow with speeches,
but not with buyers.
Streets fill with posters,
but not with jobs.
Uganda’s wealth pools in corners,
thick, congealed, unreachable.
The nation limps,
while a few grow heavier, rounder,
their laughter echoing across gated compounds.
Collops of fat—
the evidence of excess,
the proof of imbalance,
the weight carried not by those who eat,
but by those who starve.
house mouse
rise prize
fat bat
cat pat
If beauty is but skin deep,
I prevailed upon her to construe,
'Does it lie in the eye of the beholder
or, of the two which one is true?'
For we can't judge the book
by the cover, with but one look,
as what's inside truly counts
far much more than that.
And tho' to me she bemoaned,
'I am big-boned'
I've yet to see a skeleton which looks fat.
The Cat in a Hat
sat on a mat
(the mat was flat)
when
Pat a bat
who was fat
(a flying rat)
chasing a gnat
(the gnat went zzzat)
dropped in
(splat!)
for a chat
(what a brat)
but
(tit for tat)
was told to scat
imagine that!
(Moral of the story: Uninvited unwelcome)
I was delivering triple meat pizzas to the fat lady, during intermission.
The death happened before I arrived; you can check the cameras.
I wish I had seen something, so I could help you in your investigation.
Some of the singers are whispering about people they suspect.
Line sneaked in here, and was acting odd, I have heard this twice.
Her cousin Lin was seen hiding in a closet in the food court by Hank.
No, of course, I have no direct knowledge. I was not here.
Here is a list of the places I delivered pizza to in the last hour.
With the recipient’s phone numbers. These should clear me.
I saw Steven and Carol tiptoeing away from the orange Julius stand.
He was holding a broken bat; unsure if that will help but it might.
I have two more pizzas t deliver, and they are still hot.
Can I please go?
Does this outfit make me look fat? The crocodile asked the saleslady.
A bull-speaker, gusher and a compliment-er was, this lying gal, Sady.
You look marvelous, she said, I love the polka dots, stripes and plaid.
The crocodile strutted around the three-way mirror, pompously glad.
Leisurely running
Scrumptious donuts and ice cream
Pounds pile on me
Fat crow eats early
Frantic beak tears at the spoil
No other birds eat
they always ask me to stay a little longer,
as if laughter came from my skin.
as if I could be unlonely
just by making sure no one else is.
I fill the room,
and yet I’m never
in it.
they love me most
in photographs cropped at the waist—
in group chats
where I type like a mirror
and vanish like fog.
I am the pause before the pretty one speaks.
I am the arm wrapped around her waist.
I am the voice that steadies the silence
but never stirs the heart.
boys tell me I’m safe,
like a bed they’ll never sleep in.
they laugh
and I laugh
and my laugh
is a little too practiced.
I know how to fold desire
into a joke
before anyone sees it.
I know how to be background,
the warm blur,
the easy comfort
you never imagine kissing.
and still—
when I cry
it’s always quietly.
as if I don’t want
to make anyone
uncomfortable.
Fat Tuesday
twelve hours remain~ to find a gluten free fausnacht!
I’m too this, I’m too me, I'm too that,
Too happy, too sad, too thin, too fat
Why do you want to be with me, you louse?
I am as irrational and deranged as the Winchester House.
Your criticisms have been a long time coming.
I can sing them in my sleep, they are always humming
I am too weird, I am too mild.
You think you are the adult and I’m your child?
I have a word or two for you.
But pouting is awful to watch, so I’ll be blue.
Keeping my thoughts to myself, to keep safe.
You are no prize or prince, old Rafe.
You will be lucky yourself to find a normal gal.
You are not a friend, a good lover, a confidant or a pal.
I will keep these thoughts to myself, of course.
But your brain is mean, and your skin is coarse.
You have a smell I cannot put my mind upon.
I think I’ll go off with your friend Big John.
We will not think of you at all, old Rafe.
Being with you has been a big disgrace.
I love fat cat city, I fit in so incredibly well!
This song was sung by Poindexter, friend from the dell.
Here it is okay to have lusciously large thighs and hips
We make fun of the teeny tiny cats unfed on ships
I love fat city, where big fluffy toms dwell and pants aren’t creased
Poindexter gave himself a savvy mirror sneak look, and he was pleased
This is the place I had been looking for my entire life.
A place to find a Rubenesque rounded curvy doxy of a wife.
What should I do today
Doing everything the same way
Watching too much TV
It’s putting weight on me
Lack of movement causing pain
Knees hurt due to weight gain
My back hurts if I stand to long
Clothes to tight especially my bra
Sweets make my day
Trouble putting them away
No will power to keep at bay
When I walk my body sways
Going to start my diet today
Walk the pounds away
Exercise brings pain
Hope I don’t go insane
Sweat pouring down my face
Trying to run the race
A new life I need to embrace
So I don’t feel disgrace
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