I’ve seen you mom
starve yourself
You say your just not hungry
but I don’t believe you

You told me that your mom used to call you fat
She would call you fat until she was blue in the face
I don’t understand this
You are not fat
you are perfect

I’ve seen my poor cousin
Her mother was
yelling at her to stop eating so much

When
I saw your picture for prom
I felt sad
You were skinnier than you were before

I’ve seen my grandmother make comments
about people on the street
“She’s so fat, how can she even get through that door!”
It’s not funny
and I’ve tried to tell you that before
but you just won’t stop

My grandmother told the family that she was proud
of her weight
Said that she had lost 20 pounds
You are 90 pounds now
I don’t understand
It’s not healthy

My family has a history
of the word that shouldn’t be
But the cycle has to stop
and it starts with me