My dear friend SLG turned me on to the following poem.
Upon reading it, I knew I wanted to share it with the Breaking the Mirror community, so I contacted the author, Alice N. Persons. She replied immediately and gave me permission to reprint the piece in its entirety here.
I’ve added two pictures below – one of Persons and one of the cat about whom she writes. (Aren’t they both lovely?)
              
If you’d like to see more of Persons’ writing (or, better yet, purchase one of her books), please head to Moon Pie Press.
(Incidentally, this piece is from Persons’ poetry chapbook NEVER …read more

In the mirror,
There’s a flaw.
Then two, then three —
My heart is raw.
I hate my hips.
I hate my thighs.
I hate my ass.
(I like my eyes.)
I hate my tummy,
Hate my knees.
Make it stop now, 
Pretty please.
===================
You can be a songwriter! 
It doesn’t take as much time as you think, and if you enter, you’ll be eligible to win prizes!  Check it out here!

As many of you know, I wrote a short story many years ago that I posted here at Breaking the Mirror.  The writing was pitiful (my apologies!), but the concept is one that still haunts me:
Are some mothers and daughters essentially “pro-ana” teams?
I’ve never personally known any mom-daughter relationships that fit this desciption, but I’ve heard through-the-grapevine reports that they exist. 
If you’re the daughter of an anorexic (or bulimic) and you’re struggling with eating disorders yourself, I’d like to hear your side of the story. 
Do you think that your mother’s battle with Ana (or Mia) had a huge impact on …read more

Welcome and Happy May Day!
If you are new to “Breaking the Mirror“, I’d like to say hello and suggest that you check out the following links to some of the top April posts from the site to get acquainted with what’s going on around here. 
From pro-ana news to ED-related short stories, we aim to serve you.  So keep those comments a’coming and enjoy! 
From 4/23:  Please Tell Me We’ve All Been Punk’d ~  http://www.blisstree.com/2008/04/23/please-tell-me-weve-all-been-punkd/
From 4/12, 4/13, and 4/16:  “Her Father’s Daughter” (an original short story) ~ http://www.blisstree.com/2008/04/12/her-fathers-daughter-1st-installment/
http://www.blisstree.com/2008/04/13/her-fathers-daughter-2nd-installment/
http://www.blisstree.com/2008/04/16/her-fathers-daughter-3rd-last-installment/
From 4/30:  AnoSEXYa?  Some pro-anas think so!http://www.blisstree.com/2008/04/30/anosexya-some-pro-anas-think-so/
From 4/27:  In Mauritania, Anorexics Looking for Love Would …read more

(continued from Sunday’s post… to start from the beginning of the short story, click here…)
Rebecca walked carefully behind her mother. She watched, shocked, as her mother ripped off her coat, threw it to the floor, got down on her knees in front of the toilet and proceeded to ram her fingers into her mouth.
The gagging sounds began almost immediately. Rebecca was mystified by her mother’s cat-like contortions as their feast began to leave her body and land in the water.
Soon, nothing more was coming up. Her mother daintily wiped her mother with a piece of tissue and flushed. She stood …read more

(…continued from yesterday’s post…)“I’m sorry – Feast or Famine is closed. May I leave a message for someone there?”
Rebecca loved her job.
As an overnight answering company operator, she felt strangely in control of others’ lives. When she took a message for Dr. Cecil’s Family Practice or Thompkins Funeral Home, she knew she was providing a needed service. Everyone was grateful for her voice… and no one cared what she looked like.
The two other women who worked the phones were in their fifties, slender and angry. They complained about their hair, their husbands and their husbands’ girlfriends. Rebecca was lucky to …read more

Today, I wanted to share with you a short story I wrote about ten years ago.
It has plenty of eating disorder overtones – back then, I was grappling with the way body image affected individuals, families, relationships, jobs and societies.This is by no means a “finished” product; it’s quite rough… almost embarrassingly so. However, I thought it worth posting to start a dialogue. I’ll be adding it in three installments.
Enjoy.
* * * * * * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * *
Her Father’s Daughter
“Eat, Rebecca,” her father’s voice whispered. “Eat.”
The …read more