"Jennifer Burd is a fat slut."
Written on the bathroom wall
in thick, black lettering.
In black permanent marker.
She sits in the stall,
arms draped lifelessly over her knees,
watching the words.
God, no--
please don’t let them hear.
Cry quietly.
She’s afraid to eat at lunch,
because they snicker
and think they know why she is fat.
Their eyes follow every saltine
that goes into Jennifer's mouth.
But what they see are thin, oily potato chips--
with grease and butter-salt--
almost transparent against the sun,
like sheets of yellow wax paper.
And they grin and grab the arm
of whoever is seated beside them.
"No wonder Jennifer's so fat..."
It’s just a cracker.
Her cheeks feel hot and red.
She quickly brushes the crumbs off her blouse.
"Jennifer Burd is a fat slut."
Black permanent marker
on the bathroom wall.
"...is a slut."
She’s never even been kissed.
Reason for writing:
I saw the message written in the bathroom at school, and I started wondering about what it might have done to Jennifer. (I don't actually know who she is.) I imagine things like this can really take their toll on a person.
Birth sign: Virgo
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