Bones...

You're saying you don't want to “Gain weight.”

What is “Weight”?

new hair,

skin

nails.

These all go on your scale.

Okay, so it's calories? And once you burn through that glucose,

Then fat, muscles,

Organs, all that

squishy mess.

You're down to bones. Bones then. Yes?

So that's your progress-line: through belly folds,

Arm inches; to rib ridges,

Cheek edges, thigh gap,

Bone-knobbed butt.

Progress toward what? Away from what?

I'm not judging; I just want to know: if “Gaining Weight”

is what a baby does

on its way to a stable state—

if Spring grows us thick

And sickness grows us thin—

What drives you to dump out

The life your body's craving?

(I bet there's something in you worth saving.)