Fat

Fat

Frannie Zellman

Plump. Zaftig.
Voluptuous.
Plentiful pulchritude.
Robust. Big-framed.
Well padded.

Once upon a time
we cowered behind
these adjectives,
hoping the one we dreaded
would not blast its way
out of our haters.

How much fright
can three letters
cause

How much shame

But if we take it up
and clothe,, bathe, cover ourselves
in it

like sand grits
the best summer food
makes it taste weirdly
happily better

Fat
three letters
it becomes us

it limns us

it knows us

and it holds us
as we hold it

we name

we were all right all along

and we fat

fatting

fatted

here we are

fat of the land
fats and fattingly

tasty