but my love (Wattys2014 Talk of the Town Winner)

➵veintisiete

but my love,

I was walking a little behind you,

arm in arm with ella, my best friend

during a school trip to a museum

i do not recall the name of,

and i heard one of your friends, Taylor,

run to your side and she asked:

"is it true you like cherry?"

you smiled and nodded

Taylor grimaced and scoffed

"but isn't she, like, fat?"

your face scrunched up, and my heart wrenched

i felt my eyes well up with tears,

because i am ever so sensitive to that word

fat

i've always thought that being beautiful depended

on physical beauty, and i never believed i was pretty

but for a small time, i forgot all about that

yet now again, the reality body comes to haunt me again

and to people's eyes, i now understand,

that i am seen as fat

i stifled a sob and clutched ella's arm

she turned to Taylor and said some mean words,

that i do not care to remember

all i do remember is your gaze on me,

as i stared at the ground with tears in my eyes for the rest of the damned trip.

but my love,

why didn't you defend me?