by Samantha Elliott

Created on: September 23, 2010

Straighten my slumped shoulders

Tuck some hair behind my ear

Pull my sweater down to cover

My thighs

Thin mannequins in store windows

And thin girls eating cheeseburgers

With Coach purses and

Clothes that have never seen a sale

I try to find an easy stride

As I walk through the mall

Bothered by their glances

and the meaning I imagine behind them

Would they laugh if

I told them I cut my own hair

And yes, these worn shoes

Are half their age

I carry a few pounds as a badge

Of motherhood and a blissful

Home life

My nails are uneven lengths

And unpolished

My shopping bag is from Sears

But I know I have so much more than they do

With my grown up existence outside

Of this ever-shallow fishbowl

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