Beneath the Label

In every bite, a silent test,

A gamble cloaked in casual jest. While others feast without a care, I scan, I question, I prepare.

A smudge of sauce, a crumb too near-

Can spark the storm I always fear. An itchy throat, a swelling tight,

The blur of sound, the blur of light.

A life where food becomes a guess, A daily dose of cautiousness.

Where menus read like riddled threats,

And “Are you sure?” breeds quiet sweat.

Friends don’t see the weight I bear,

The coded math of “Don’t you dare.”

It’s not a trend, a quirk, a whim,

But life lived always on the brim.

A party plate, a kiss, a touch the world is beautiful-and much

Too sharp sometimes. Too blind, too fast,

To notice when I hold my gasp.

But in this body, I’ve grown wise,

To listen sharp, to read the skies.

A thousand “No’s” to stay alive,

A stubborn will, a need to thrive.

So if I flinch or walk away,

Know it’s not fear that makes me stray.

It’s power, too, to choose to flee, And fight for space to safely be.