Invitation by Grace Nichols (1984)

1

If my fat
was too much for me
I would have told you
I would have lost a stone
or two

I would have gone jogging
even when it was fogging
I would have weighed in
sitting the bathroom scale
with my tail tucked in

I would have dieted
more care than a diabetic

But as it is
I’m feeling fine
feel no need
to change my lines
when I move I’m target light

Come up and see me sometime

2

Come up and see me sometime
Come up and see me sometime

My breasts are huge exciting
amnions of watermelon
                              your hands can’t cup
my thighs are twin seals
                                 fat slick pups
there’s a purple cherry
below the blues
                                 of my black seabelly
there’s a mole that gets a ride
each time I shift the heritage
of my behind

Come up and see me sometime