Ed came to stay when she was 12
No one invited him.
He snuck in through the sliding door,
for the girl who needed some sense of control.

He told her he would help her,
he would always be her friend.
Self-control was what she needed
And he’d teach her all the tricks.
Move your food around,
bring it to your mouth,
then ask about your sister’s day.
It was their little secret
and he’d teach her how to keep it.

So he lived inside the mirror,
fostering disease.
He showed her a reflection
but it wasn’t really hers.

Ed came to stay when Reba was 12
But he didn’t just come for a visit
He grew stronger in the hollows of her sunken cheek,
and the jutting of her narrow hips.

We found Ed six years later,
When zeros became double zeros
And weak legs gave way on the sixth step
Six years and we hadn’t noticed
Ed carving out her rib cage and collar bones
Until there was nothing of her left.
And just Ed.