dysmorphia

thin red lines on

cream-colored paper

my walls look

like candy canes

swelled with

hardened sugar.

if only i had

a little more

self control.

i ate the walls,

gorged myself

on the plaster dust

as if it were

powdered sugar,

sucked on the paper

like it was made of

peppermint.

i could not taste

its sweetness,

but i felt it

settling in my gut

slipping down my throat

and pooling

just above the waist.

now my roof

is sagging

and my stomach

is sagging

and i can confirm

horizontal striped wallpaper

is fattening

but not enough

to fill the void

inside my stomach

that seems to stretch down

past my knees.