days have been so hot fish are floating belly up
my abdomen is swollen
bigger than mother’s was
when i was five years old we shared a bath together
“i never want a tummy like hers,” i thought
it was the size of the baby elephant’s
in my golden book

be careful of what you don’t want

the first thing he said after offering me medication was
‘it makes you fat’
i started to think he was a bit of a cowboy
he could have said put on weight like most doctors would
the many other side-effects made me say
‘why would i take it?’

i agreed with the prescriptions
and the small operations
but the words – ‘you will? you will?’ rang strange
i felt in a bit of a whirl
not the kind when a girl’s on her first date
but the type that eats the core out of your brain
to spit it back in your face

i had given him bullets for his gun
causing rise to one fat belly
no need for floaties

float I will
but not like those fish
not for a while
anyway