I can remember when I could see my whole back in the mirror at once
Now, it's like four backs, with rolls and valleys
There's more acne on my shoulders than on the face of a 14-year-old mathlete
I can remember when only 50% of my body was covered with stretch marks
Now, they cover every saggy inch, some deep and purple and fresh
Others old, shiny and scar-white, branching down my arms and legs
I can remember when climbing a flight of stairs never gave me pause
Now, when I reach the top, I wheeze, bending over to catch my breath
I can feel my pulse racing, thundering in my ears, ragged and irregular
My eyes are the same steely blue, like an ocean after a storm
But now, they are set in deep baggy sacks; familiar eyes
Staring out from a swollen, drooping face with several waggling chins
Some day, I tell myself, I'll become strong and fit, energetic
Running through the spring slush, or a stiff autumn breeze
And I'll be nimble and sexy on the dance floor, a picture of fitness and health
It will happen like magic; one day, I'll wake up and climb on the scale
And it won't bottom out, I will be able to see the numbers around
My elephantine waistline, the pounds having disappeared like smoke in the night
I will look in the mirror and turn, able to see my entire back at once
My abdomen will ripple with statuesque muscles
Then, having sex with my wife won’t feel like a cross-country marathon
But somehow, in this fantasy, I can still eat four strips of bacon with every meal
End
