Elizabeth

I have a friend named Elizabeth

I call her Liz

Beautiful brown eyes, nice smile

Her brows are nice and full

She’s Curvy

And worthy of capturing all of the attention in a room

As I said she’s beautiful..

Curvy...

Not fat

Not “pretty for a fat girl”

Not “Too much stomach and not enough ass to match”

So don’t ask

If she loves her body

Or snicker when she shows you pictures of her being skinnier

Laugh at her image

And question

Why she doesn’t eat enough for a person her size

Sometimes I wonder how she does it

How she puts up with trying hard not to give up

How does she maneuver around toxic situations

When people give her health tips or suggests gyms

Picture her slim,

And guilt trip her gut for stealing the attention away from her face

What is it like when I’m not around

She’s mentally strong enough she says...

As if I haven’t been warned of closed doors

And what happens behind them

I know she cries

Those beautiful brown eyes do not see anything but fake smiles

As she showcases a new outfit

And they pay attention

But point out “jelly rolls”

I don’t get it though

How heartless comments can hurt the most beautiful person I know

And when I praise her

She resents me for it .

Says I do not feel self conscious when entering doctors offices

Shed no tears in the mirror

Because my crevices do not highlight extra blemishes

Says she’s about twice my size

And is still half as empty as I’ll ever be

And I tell her it’s alright

Holding back tears in my eyes

I tell her .. I would love to be her for a day

And she laughs .. as if it’s the most unrealistic thing .. that I could ever say