Read Poem: DUCT TAPE MY LIPS, by Karen L. Robinson

I love and treasure my body? hell no.
Not in this lifetime.
Is food my jam or not my jam?
Food is a fat girl’s jam.
Skinny girls,
Crack or wine? A pack of smokes.
Instead of telling me what to do, or what to eat,
Just duct tape my lips already.

Uber eats. A fat girl’s bacon
Food on demand is just to easy.
Robbed.
Of health and money.
Just stop. Stop it. Duct tape my lips.

Weight watchers in elementary school.
A lifetime of yo-yos. A stupid toy and
A stupid diet. Diet is to starve is to eat more
is to become fatter.

Pizza house worker, lose weight
Eat lots of pizza and chicken fingers.
Fattest calves, don’t wear a skirt.
Don’t want to be fat
Be invisible but be visible
Slap a smile, crack a joke and be the
Best damn actress. Rock the stage
She’s earned the time to shine, so
Remove the duct tape just one night.

More trauma. I’m a pro. Stuff it down.
Add icecream on top. All flavors.
It’s bad to discriminate. Equal opportunity
Flavors and bad news boys.
Bad boys are good reminders
Of self-hate and voicelessness.

Voiceless? Not me. Not me now.
I’m a loud and proud feminist. Or am
I? Maybe I just put on a show.
I can’t say my lines.
Is duct tape working? Nah.
Just don’t care. Who cares?

I want to be skinny.
Enough to run around the house?
Hell no, I might twist my ankle.
Exercise is dangerous.
Save the fat girl.
Duct tape her lips