Poems

You & Me

YOU
You're never far away.
You're the girl running along the river, looking exhausted.
You're the girl with the pain in your head.
You're the girl with the scars on your legs.
You're the girl who only drinks water.
You're the girl whose favourite thing in the world to think about is food, but who least wants to eat it.
You're the girl with the hospital admission bracelet.
You're the girl on the phone to Lifeline.
You're the girl crying in the corner.
You're the girl who loves to cook and feed others.
You're the girl who never feeds herself.
You're the girl obsessing over a slice of cake.
You're the girl who fears fat and sees it everywhere.
You're the girl of my dreams, yet a girl from hell.
You're the girl in the bathroom, crying.
You're the girl who hits her head against the wall.
You're the girl who's so tall, but has never felt so small.
You're the girl who doesn't want to be alive.
You're the girl who feels sad and angry.
You're the girl feeling for her hip bones.
You're the girl sitting in a psychiatrist's office.
You're the girl having another blood test.
You're the girl taking her pills.
You're the girl with no period.
You're the girl who can't sleep.
You're the girl who haunts me.
You're the girl I once was.
You're never far away from me.

ME
I'm here, right now, in this moment.
I'm the girl who loves yoga and meditation.
I'm the girl who is healthy.
I'm the girl with the internal scars, the memories of my past.
I'm the girl who loves chai tea and mochas.
I'm the girl who thinks the most important thing in this world is to be ethical, to live a moral life.
I'm the girl in the purple printed scarf and black pleated skirt.
I'm the girl who hangs out with her friends.
I'm the girl who loves to help others.
I'm the girl who grows fruit and vegetables.
I'm the girl who eats what she wants, when she wants.
I'm the girl who loves avocado, chocolate and good bread.
I'm the girl who appreciates the seasons.
I'm the girl who's not perfect, but accepts it.
I'm the girl who loves to laugh and sing.
I'm the girl whose inspirations are the Dalai Lama and Peter Singer.
I'm the girl who's really tall, and owns it.
I'm the girl who loves living.
I'm the girl who feels content, happy.
I'm the girl who lights candles and tends to her plants.
I'm the girl who plays footy in the park with her brother.
I'm the girl who loves Brunswick St and the Camberwell Market.
I'm the girl who speaks French.
I'm the girl who wants to work for a charity.
I'm the girl who sleeps well each night.
I'm the girl who is going places, normally by bus.
I'm the girl who has survived.
I'm the girl who has thrived.