Remember that Others Will

More minor language

I honestly didn't think I would end up here.

I know what I'm made of
I'm aware of how I'm made
And I've come to terms with
What we all know:
That I'm not the belle of the ball
And I'm not the gargoyle either.
I can look you in the eye
And my voice is definitely going to be steady
When I tell you exactly how rude you are. 

Pregnant or fat,
Are those the only options?
And here I was hoping to put this poem
On the "Other" line. 

But you're lucky I can take a hit
Cause girls I know would've crumbled
Under your eyes and your voice
And your derisive smile
They would've withered
Scattered like a plate of sand
I've seen them fall apart before
Because of the likes of you.

Yes we're aware
Of how big our noses are
Of how short we are
Of the flesh on our cheek, on our thighs
And the fact that our stomachs
Are bigger than our b***s 
Of just how we look 
In that tight fitting little dress
Under those harsh lights.

But frankly, my dear,
I don't give a damn.
I wear what I like, when I like,
and I wear my own body
Like I would wear Chanel,
And maybe you should stop and consider
What you're physically doing
When you cut in with your cutting commentary. 

I've seen girls that starve themselves
And girls that cut themselves
And girls that throw up after every meal.
I've seen girls that cry in the middle of the night
Girls that can't get out of bed,
Girls that take too many pills,
Girls that die
Because apparently they aren't worth anything
If they're just not pretty. 

I might not give a damn
And you might not give a damn
But the girl
Who's going to care enough about your opinion
To hesitate before touching her dinner
To look in the mirror and hate herself
To stay in bed all night
Staring at the ceiling replaying your words over and over
Until she's lost in the ugliness of it all
(yes it's ugly
Your words are ugly)
She deserves your careful consideration
Before those words ever leave your mouth
Are you prepared to put out the light in her eyes
Are you prepared to wind your words around her neck
And strangle her with them
Are your prepared to be responsible
When she's gaunt and hollow
And there's nothing left of her except
Skin and bones and tears
Cause stick and stone won't break her bones
But they'll make her want to die. 
Are you capable of killing her? 

I might not give a damn and you might not give a damn.
But I hope you'll always remember
That others will.

Author's Note

met a fat-shaming authority figure, and I wasn't happy, so this happened.