Forty days and forty nights

of detoxification hell

because God knows

to eat is a sin

worthy of the fall

of humanity.

For just as it is human

nature to sin because of Eve-

the mother of all,

it was in my nature

to be born 8.4 pounds

and be spoon-fed

until I grew into my mother’s

size 24 favorite pair

of thrift shop jeans

with a hole in the crotch

from being stretched

wider and wider.

For when manna falls

from the sky into your hands

like free school lunch

of slimy pizza and greasy fries

you do not say no

and let your only means

of life rot.

For you do not choose

what kind of manna

God chooses to provide.

Because my father left

us with only medical bills.

That too was not chosen

by my mother

who never graduated

from high school

and never had a job.

Mother I remember

how I’d hug your huge body

layered in grease

and how your kiss would taste

salty. You worked two jobs.

One at the school cafeteria

the other at McDonald’s

where they gave you food

at a discounted price

and a way to survive.

But survival landed

you in a hospital bed

as 140 pounds of excess

weight led to your early

death. I will shed

every single pound

of you from this repulsive

body until none

of you remains.