Birds chirp softly in the crisp morning
Quiet and peaceful
And while many of us enjoy the comfort of sleep
She is there
Pushing herself
Heart pumping loudly
Taking burning breaths
Feet on fire

Yet she pushes onward

Moving faster with each step
She ignores the pain
And the blackness at the edge of her sight,
The speech of her stomach
To throw everything she has left into the movements

With one goal in mind

She smiles through the dizziness
Thinking of all the meals she never ate
If only's are close on her mind
She tries to block them out
But they are ever-present

Her steps quicken

If only she were better
Skinnier, prettier, smarter, or stronger
Then maybe she would finally be loved
She can only focus on her goal
To see someone else in the mirror
This goal
Unreachable as it is,
Is everything