BODY IMAGE Poem: scale, by MZ Khan

plastic
what are you but plastic
a cold, hard thing
lifeless on cold, hard tile

making me something
cold and hard
a tin woman
trembling inside

how did you sink
your claws into me
how did I let you
dig, dig, dig so deep

am I the only customer
of your printing press
the curve of your quill
staining even the sun

I am blind to anything
that is not you
try to reconcile the
push and pull

justify the highs with
the twisted relish of
those delicious lows
the never low enough

limbo limbo you sing
and I bend backward
to find out
how low can we go

my diary is covered
in moments we shared
photos timestamped
by my dedication to you

a single number
is enough to destroy
to starve, to zombiefy
my entire being

every time I think your
sharp talons have dulled
you whisper sweet lies
and the scars resurface

plastic
what are you but plastic
a cold, hard thing
alive in my lifeless mind