High Cholesterol Blues
I dream of pancakes
piled on my plate
layered with butter,
maple syrup flowing
across them like a
spring stream,
but instead
I eat oatmeal.
I dream of creamy milkshakes
so thick they
have to be eaten
with a spoon,
but instead
I eat an apple.
I am surrounded by reduced-fat this
and fat-free that.
The doctor says I need
a prescription,
but I am as determined
as a bull in a pen.
I run, I buy a low-fat cookbook.
I am the model of discipline.
I recall the days of
quiche lorraine, pizza
and ice cream
as if they were as distant
as my youth.
I boldly flaunt
my banner,
"Less than 20 grams of fat per day"
and I know that I will
taste victory
even if it isn't sweet.
Linda Keller
From Comet Dreams, Tindari Press, 2004
