At first it’s hard
You don’t notice any change
Even though you watch what you eat
No more sugars; goodbye rum and cokes
More celery and carrot sticks than have any right to exist
Finally you can pull the belt in a notch
Start to see legs emerge from the treetrunk thighs
And let go some baggage
With each pound lost, another mask shed
Another lost hope recovered
Another pound gone
And I’m closer to the truth
I strip away the layers of who I wasn’t
Really
Just the man I had become to please others
The husband made over
And over
More workouts, less food
Down a size
Then two
Another pound gone
And I’m closer to the truth
The truth uncomplicated by control
Instead of listening to others
I listen to my heart
As the pounds drop away
And I give up the hang-ups
The conflict and the fear
Nervous laughter
Stinging jeers
Once swollen by love gone bitter
Now the bitterness fades
Away
And a leaner self emerges
Me
David Trudel © 2012
