She never moved,
and I watched her a long while.
She was kneeling at the shore of a lake,
her knees in the water
as little waves continued to roll in.
I assume she watched her own reflection
in the almost calm water.
I shouldn’t have stayed
when I heard her talking
but the picture and the words she spoke
mesmerized me.
Talking to the reflection
she railed about her round face,
about her stomach keeping her
from seeing her belt.
She talked about a twenty-year battle
to become slender and fit,
depression pushing her to tears
from years of frustration.
I never spoke to her,
don’t think she had a clue I was there
but I knew what she was going through.
As I stood there I remembered my disgust
at what I looked like.
I hope the moment changed her life
as much as it changed mine,
for I found others like the two of us
and have lived in recovery
from compulsive overeating
these last five years.