She tells me she's been starving
herself and she used to burst
into tears at the sight of food
but they sat around the table
and forced her to eat.

It scares me, this pain of hers.
So I joke and tell her that
this is what happens when you're
good at maths -- counting calories
that is, because the

Numbers always slipped away
from me, but the food remained.
So you know, I never could.
join the club, and it made me
Feel inadequate.

Don't get me wrong, I quite like
food. Couldn't live without it.
But how strange it is that eating
is my anchor to this tossing,
spinning life but the

Act of eating sets her adrift.