Breathless

Words float through my brain

All day long

They tell me of my worth

They compare and contrast and stretch and tear

Leave me on my knees

Breathless

Avoiding mirrors

Avoiding shops

I walk the streets like a ghost

Pain in my stomach I ignore like a habit 

My knees shake and my hands tremble

I exist between meals

Dreading the excuses I've mastered 

Trips from the table after meals

Tears falling onto the porcelain thrones of hell

The mirrors mock me

And my pain

Inflated I see my reflection

Distorted and different every day

I brush it off

Control the tremor and smile

Everything's fine I say 

As inside I fall to my knees 

Pleading someone to notice 

The shake in my voice 

The smell on my hand

The blushed look of my face

A. D.