Lettuce Poem by Paula Glynn

She reads all the fashion magazines,
For fashion is her passion,
And she dreams,
Of the silver screen,
Where she is slim,
Beautiful and free.

She dreams of a luscious smile,
And a perfect, slim body,
Just like all those models,
Actresses and singers.

But she is not these people,
No matter how many diets,
She goes on,
But she knows,
She must be strong,
And eat lettuce,
Instead of rich, stodgy meals,
For a skinny body,
Food does steal.

She has tried many diets,
The South Beach,
Liquid diets and carb-free diets,
But she remains the same:
Fat and unslightly,
With tree trunk thighs,
A droopy bust,
And a doughy middle,
With short, uninspiring legs.

She has also tried diet pills,
But they just made her sick,
As sick as those,
Tormenting her for her weight,
All those beautiful young women,
Who are not ugly ducklings,
That have to leave town.

But she carries on reading,
Those magazines and admiring,
Those beautiful celebrities,
For she wants to be in fashion,
And be respected,
Without going,
To an eating disorders unit.

Her friends mostly feel the same,
The pressure on young girls,
And women, to look perfect,
In a world where nothing is perfect,
But the lies go on,
And the pressure never ends,
But if people stay friends,
Maybe this madness,
Will one-day end,
Once and for all.