she is putting on weight

a warm kind of
slow-moving weight
(like being filled with soft sand:
it trickles in)

it pads her shoulders
and her hips
her inner thighs are thickening
her cheeks round

she is pressing
against her clothes

swelling like breath
in the winter
when it’s cold and
it feels good to
grow


she sleeps nude
and lays with feet
outstretched
her dream-self counts
clenching fingers and toes
watches the rise rise fall
of her breasts and blankets
and listens to the purr of
throaty, heavy sleep

she has been dreaming lately
of an unplanned trip to mexico
she finds herself
on a plane
looking down on
stone-skipped clouds
as altitude and panic mount –
no money or clothes
(she hasn’t showered)
her passport photo is of
a slim-faced girl she doesn’t recognize
did she bring her wallet?