Less is More

By Laura Monaghan

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This is the paradox that we are sold.

The one which has us bite our tongue,

shrink our bodies,

close our eyes,

and cross our fingers

waiting for a day that never comes.

A day where we aren’t too much.

Aren’t too fat or too hairy,

too loud or too intense.

Answer me this:

Since when did living in this world

come with our authenticity as the expense?

Instead, the same society that preaches

balanced health and wholesome living,

markets perfection in pill form.

Promising fat loss on the label

and omitting diet culture

from the fine print.

And so we’re spoon-fed scarcity,

because in our world,

the more scarce the object,

the greater its value.

But please tell me,

if less is more, then why do I feel

like my protruding ribs

are the bars of my jail cell?

If less is more, then why,

at my smallest, did I still feel

like I was taking up too much

S P A C E ?

However, if society can promote paradox

then perhaps, so can you and I.

And one inch at a time,

We can choose to reclaim back our space,

in a world that profits from us being small