Seasoned Half-Truths

~Makisha Lawrence

Half- truths marinated in mango juices
traipse slowly down the back of an arm
The eager tongue of naiveté sweeps them
onto the palate where
taste buds are obliged to slowly absorb
contradictions of:

You just a little on the chubby side
And
Baby here, have some more macaroni ‘n’ cheese
And
A young lady never finishes everything on her plate
And
But honey you have such a pretty face.

With sticky sweet fingers
A little girl stuffs teachings of
‘not good enoughs’
under soft mounds of insulated flesh
that rises and falls in sighs of longing and discontentment
and
periodically whispers reminders that
Daddy’s love is dependant upon
the number that spins into view when he places her upon the scale

Eyes running over with pity and concern
look down upon her and say;
“If you lose weight you can be in Uncles wedding”
But in her mind a translation is made
And its mantra dances within the folds of her brain
Singing lightly;
Every pound lost is a pound of love gained

Insecurity seasoned with jerk sauce
pass between lips that wish more to be kissed
than to be fed the spicy morsels of
why she should not be loved
The young lady passes the peppery doctrine
to Teeth which set to break them down
make them more manageable
She swallows with a chaser of ginger beer
Allowing lies to coat Esophagus
run into Stomach who then
digests and files them in her Heart
And with each beat of life force
Sour reminders of
Why it is such a chore to embrace her
Bubble up in the back of her throat