It's not because

We are not fat or
snug in our jeans because
we watch TV ads and
billboards pointing to drive-thrus.

If that were the case,
I would drink beer,
smoke cigarettes,
drive a Mercedes,
and take several kinds of laxatives.

If that were the case,
I would have shiny floors
sparkling sinks,
buy Titleist golf balls
and tickets for Broadway shows.

Say and blame what you will,
but I like the taste,
feel, and energy
on my lips and tongue.

For Totally Optional Prompt, "Letter to the editor" theme, January 3, 2008
Poetry button by Boogie Jack

Totally Optional Prompt

Today's prompt is a poem by Ted Kooser about the horse, "its hide a hot shudder of satin/ head stony and willful. . ." For this I pull out an old one, written on the occasion of Lou Ferrigno's 50th birthday in 2002. He is the actor who played "The Hulk." The photo is me with my horse at a trail ride. The poem is about noticing the changes as I went from being a straight and skinny child to a more adult figured young woman.



Happy Birthday, Lou Ferrigno

Today it was announced
with little surprise
That the Hulk had turned 50;
so did my thighs.

Yes, back in ‘52
I fell from a horse,
Noticed my body shifting--
southward, of course.

Legs that outran all the boys
in school races,
Now slowed down and waited
for a few paces.

The limbs that scrambled up and
were scraped on trees
Became pudgy, dimpled
soft above the knees.

The body so straight and slim
looked like a rack,
Now grew fat and fleshy
I knew for a fact.

So it’s with mixed emotion
and a few sighs
Eat cake and ice cream,
“Happy Birthday, dear thighs!”

Totally optional prompt